Heir of the Sage
by Sillusion
Summary: When Yamato and Kakashi show Naruto how to find out his Elemental Affinity, they end up with far more than they bargained for! Now Naruto is armed with the abilities of the First Hokage, how will he deal with his enemies? Mokuton!Naruto AU
1. Chapter 1

**Heir of the Sage **

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is solely the possession of Kishimoto, alas I only own the computer I used to write a story based on his wonderful work.

**Summary****: **When Naruto is learning how to use his Elemental Affinity from Yamato and Kakashi, they end up with far more than he bargained for! Mokuton!Naruto AU

* * *

**Chapter One****: His Affinity**

"Okay, time to train!" Kakashi began eagerly, "So let's run through-" He stopped when Naruto chuckled. Kakashi's excitement faded in embarrassment, 'Was I too eager?' He wondered, and immediately regretted his show of anticipation. "What is it?" Kakashi asked

"No, no, it's nothing… It's just that when I think about training with you again…" Naruto blushed embarrassedly and scratched back of his head, "I don't know why, but I just get all excited and happy."

Kakashi grinned, "Well laugh it up while you get the chance!" Naruto's face dropped in reply. Kakashi laughed at his expression for a moment, and in a moment of sobriety, he sighed. "Time isn't waiting for us you know?" The serious look on Naruto's face told Kakashi that it was time to begin. "Just like I told you earlier, you are going to be trained extensively to be able to create an ultimate ninjutsu of your own." Kakashi said, "one superior to even the Rasengan."

Naruto nodded keenly, and Kakashi continued onwards, "To do that you'll need to have command of two chakra control techniques," He put up two fingers to emphasise his point. "Physical Recomposition," he put one finger down, "and Spatial Recomposition." He put the other finger down and clenched his fist, "Putting these two techniques together will create the strongest of techniques."

Naruto concentrated intensely, "Physical and Spatial… Recombatation?"

"…." Kakashi said nothing; he was beyond exasperated 'He can't ever get the simplest of things!' He sighed. "Take Chidori as an example, to use it you physically recompose your chakra to resemble electricity, then you spatially recompose it to discharge." Kakashi smiled briefly, "Doing it correctly and placing the correct use of each technique determines the strength and scope of the attack."

Naruto's face was blank.

"You could say that unlike Chidori, Rasengan is a jutsu relying only on extremely advanced Spatial Recomposition, since the jutsu compresses chakra by spinning it at violently high speeds, it doesn't have any need for Physical Recomposition." Kakashi explained.

"Physical Recombination… I see, I see." Naruto nodded, arms folded.

Kakashi corrected him subtly, "Physical Recom_position_, will be an absolute necessity for you to acquire a jutsu surpassing Rasengan."

"Makes sense to me! Alright time for Physical Recombination!" Naruto cheered.

Kakashi sweatdropped and thought, 'It doesn't seem like he's getting this… But either way, he learns with his body, not his head- so I guess it's all the same.'

Kakashi continued, "However… Acquiring that technique takes an enormous amount of time. I was just going to explain how to reduce that time penalty a bit ago, when we were in the hospital."

"I see…" Naruto replied cautiously, "So how're we going to reduce it then!"

Kakashi looked him square in the eye, "Well there's not much reason to beat around the bush! The method of training is to use your Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clones)."

"…Huh?" Naruto raised a curious eyebrow at him.

"Well actually, it's your Tajyuu Kage Bunshin (Mass Shadow Clones)." Kakashi corrected himself neatly.

"… What about it?" Naruto asked baldly.

"That's the method to shorten your training," Kakashi said slowly.

"…" Naruto squinted at him as if Kakashi had suddenly revealed that the world was in fact, round. "What do you mean?"

"I knew this'd happen!" Kakashi groaned, "I'll make it as simple as possible- listen up." Naruto nodded studiously. "You already know that when making Kage Bunshin instead of making another copy of yourself, you actually create real bodies. In other words, you literally create another version of yourself," Kakashi began. Naruto continued to nod. "I know I can't use it as well as you can, but I know that effect that it has on the user…"

"Effect? And what's that?" Naruto asked genuinely curious.

Kakashi continued as if Naruto had never interrupted, "You've used it constantly, so you've probably noticed that when you release the Kage Bunshin, and the jutsu is undone, the things that each individual experience then add up to become the original's experience as well."

Naruto squinted at him again. "I said make it simple," he said in a minor amount frustration.

"So you haven't noticed?" Kakashi asked. Naruto shook his head blankly. "Then let's both make a Kage Bunshin," Kakashi invited.

Naruto grinned eagerly. "That I can do!" he commented happily, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A plume of smoke was released and now Kakashi and Naruto were mirrored by two exact duplicates.

"What's going on?" The clone commented blandly.

"Come with me," the Kakashi clone ordered. Naruto clone followed obediently.

"What's this for?" Naruto whined.

"You'll see," Kakashi smiled. The pair waited for a moment.

Naruto squinted at him impatiently, and suddenly his eyes shot wide open, "I beat you at Rock-Paper-Scissors!" Naruto declared with a faint smile.

"That you did!" Kakashi said gently, "Or, your Kage Bunshin did. Our clones had a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors and you remembered what happened perfectly. As you saw, anything a clone witnesses will transfer back to the original body."

"I get it! I just never noticed until now," Naruto replied sheepishly, he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Well, this jutsu was originally meant to be used for scouting dangerous places, and spying in enemy territory to gather information after all…" Kakashi explained with a tone of finality. 'Finally the explanation's complete!'

"So?"

Kakashi sweatdropped. "So," He replied reluctantly, "if two clones went to spy in an enemy village and impersonated two different people, they would gain double the amount of information than if one single person was spying, as if you had two clones do the same training as you, you would then gain twice the amount of experience at that training!"

"Right!"

Kakashi decided to simplify it further, "In other words, you can cut your training in half with just two clones," Naruto nodded in understanding. "And if you trained with one-thousand clones, you would gain experience one-thousand times more quickly!"

Naruto nodded again in understanding this time, "I get it!"

"So… Even if the training to upgrade the Rasengan would take twenty years, with a thousand clones you could do it in a single week," said Kakashi. His broad smile clear even through his mask.

"That's a great plan!" Naruto cheered with a fist raised in the air.

"So from now, we'll train on how to manipulate the nature of your chakra- you will always be using your Tajyuu Kage Bunshin (Mass Shadow Clones)." Kakashi continued on briskly.

"Is this how you're so strong Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked wide-eyed, "This'd make you strong fast!"

"Ah, I don't have enough chakra to make use of this Naruto. In that respect you're far stronger than me!" Kakashi revealed lightly.

"Oh, cool… I'm awesome!" Naruto applauded, "This'll make things loads easier!"

"And If Yamato doesn't suppress the Kyuubi's Chakra, you could have up to one hundred times my amount of Chakra," Kakashi carried on, and he waved at someone behind Naruto.

"That's why you're the only one who can do this kind of training, Naruto-kun!" Yamato said merrily as he approached.

"Yamato-Taichou!" Naruto greeted with a salute.

"Kakashi asked me to aid your training- You may need me to help control the Kyuubi's chakra after all," Yamato explained, not needing to be asked.

"Great! I'm counting on you Captain!" Naruto beamed.

"So! I'll explain the affinities you could have. There are five different types of natures that may alter a person's chakra, and they are Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning and Earth." Kakashi said plainly.

"I understand," Naruto nodded.

"In fact, the Elemental countries were originally named after the amount of people in each region who specialised in each element. That's why Konoha has a lot of Fire users," Kakashi added. 'I'll drum some knowledge into your head yet, Naruto Uzumaki!' Kakashi vowed internally.

"Generally everyone has chakra that fits into one of those categories, like how Sasuke makes use of both fire and lightning," Yamato explained succinctly.

Naruto's expression hardened.

"But we still don't know what natured chakra you are skilled with!" Kakashi said, and with that, he raised a few scraps of paper. "We'll be able to check that because of this paper."

"How?" Naruto asked nervously, 'I hope I don't have to do a test!' he thought in fear.

"You channel your chakra through," Kakashi said, and Naruto watched as the paper crinkled around his hand. "Lightning nature crumples the paper, Wind slices it, Fire burns it, Water soaks it and Earth makes it disintegrate."

Naruto listened in wonder, "Why does this happen to the paper?"

"It's a kind of paper that reacts easily to chakra, it's made from trees that are fed and raised with chakra," Yamato explained. "Channel your chakra through one to find out your affinity!" Kakashi passed the paper to the blond, and Naruto accepted it gratefully.

Naruto charged his chakra into the paper with a slight grunt of concentration, and looked at the outcome in confusion. "Er… Huh?"

"Oh!" Yamato exclaimed, "This... This is unheard of!"

Kakashi's single visible eye blinked in shock, "You are definitely Konoha's most unpredictable ninja, Naruto!"

"Kakashi-sensei! My paper's broken!" Naruto complained, "Nothing like what you said _could_ happen, actually happened!"

"Something _much_ more interesting happened than any old element, Naruto!" Yamato said in amazement, "You have an affinity for using the Wood element- Just like the Shodai Hokage and just like me!"

"I do?" Naruto looked down at his sheet of chakra-paper, which was now covered in an olive-green coloured moss that was slowly crumbling off of the paper at the touch of his hand.

"You do," Yamato replied, "the Mokuton (Wood Release) is the rarest of elemental combinations and it was in fact a unique gift to the Shodai Hokage rather than a bloodline limit like some people think."

"Mokuton's that good?" Naruto said doubtfully, "but what's so cool about using trees and wood?"

Yamato laughed, "Not only can Mokuton be used as offensive, defensive and as supportive techniques, it's also a mixture of both Earth and Water affinities. This means you are suited to using three different types of elemental attack with relative ease."

"How cool!" Naruto said in awe, "Okay, I'm ready!"

Kakashi grinned broadly under his mask again, "Well then, let's begin your Mokuton training!"

"Right!" Naruto responded readily, "How do we start?"

"Well, before you learn how to use Mokuton you'll have to learn how to manipulate and control Suiton (Water Release) and Doton (Earth Release) techniques," Yamato explained, "And once you've gotten to grips with the pair, you'll be able to combine them!"

"And the first step in Suiton techniques is to drain all of the moisture and water from this leaf," Kakashi supplied, and handed Naruto a leaf.

Yamato added, "You do it by channelling your chakra into the leaf, and you use your chakra to physically drain the water out- if you're successful, your hands should feel wet, and you should see green pigment on your hands."

Kakashi nodded, "And don't forget to use your Kage Bunshin to help your training go faster."

Naruto chuckled, "You two are acting like my parents!"

Yamato's face blanched and Kakashi gave their student a stern look. "What do you mean Naruto?"

The blond continued to laugh, "You keep finishing each other's sentences and mothering me…" He caught sight of Kakashi's glare, and his laughter quickly trailed off. "Uh- umm… But then… Never mind!"

"Good." Kakashi said firmly. And then there was silence.

"Erm," Naruto began nervously, "Kakashi-sensei, just how many Kage Bunshin should I make?"

Kakashi thought for a moment, "The Bunshin will all need to work off of leaves, so I'd say you should make a Bunshin for every leaf in this tree," he pointed behind himself blindly, to one of the largest trees in the training ground. "Get going, Naruto!"

Naruto did not bother to respond verbally, instead he moved his hands into his most used technique, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

* * *

I know a lot of this opening chapter is the same as Canon, but I needed to set the scene, and sadly the diversion only hits when Naruto checks his elemental affinity- thus the title of the chapter.  
Next chapter should be a lot more fresh and interesting though, so make sure to check it!


	2. Chapter 2

**Heir of the Sage **

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is solely the possession of Kishimoto, alas I only own the computer I used to write a story based on his wonderful work.

**Summary: **When Naruto is learning how to use his Elemental Affinity from Yamato and Kakashi, they end up with far more than he bargained for! Mokuton!Naruto AU

* * *

**Chapter Two: His Training [Part One]**

"So Kakashi-sensei, how should we work off of the leaves?" Naruto asked, while the crowd of clones behind him charged to each get a leaf to train with.

"Well, to earn the Mokuton you must first learn how to channel each of the two elements. I would suggest starting with Suiton (Water Release) and then working on towards Doton (Earth Release) when you have learnt that," Kakashi replied airily.

Naruto nodded in understanding, and once the legion of clones returned to his side they decided to continue. "So how do we channel water natured chakra?"

"Well! You remember you have to draw all of the moisture out of the leaf?" Yamato asked patiently, as he began to run through hand seals. "You should try and visualise your chakra running through the leaf and flushing the water from it gradually. If you do it right, you should eventually have a dried up leaf that has less colour in it than usual."

Yamato finally finished the seals, and thrust his hands to the floor and called "Doton: Doryuu Jouheki!" (Earth Release: The Rampart of Running Earth) the earth before him moved away and around him, and formed into a large mountainous looking platform with him standing at the very top.

And suddenly, with an extra seal Yamato cried, "Suiton: Takitsubo no Jutsu!" (Water Release: The Pool Plunge) and water sprouted from the air and poured over from the top to form into a lustrous and graceful waterfall. "When you've finished the exercise, you'll work on separating the waterfall by manipulating with your chakra."

"Okay!" Naruto replied, and then one-thousand and one blond teenagers immediately forced their chakra into their leaves.

Kakashi noticed Naruto's attention was elsewhere, and turned to Yamato, "I hope you realise that the amount of chakra that they'll use will make it possible for the Kyuubi to come out," Kakashi said quietly, "And if that happens, all of the momentum that Naruto builds with this speed-training might be lost."

"So you think I should take preventative measures?" Yamato guessed with a thoughtful expression on his face. "I could do that I suppose." Yamato sat down on the floor, and channelled his chakra with his eyes closed in concentration.

Kakashi looked up from the book he was reading to see a number of wooden tiger heads (on large stakes of wood) erupt out of the ground around Yamato in a circle. 'Interesting,' Kakashi thought. 'Maybe one day Naruto will be able to manipulate the Kyuubi's chakra on his own, by using the Shodai's power.'

"I did it! I got some water out!"

Kakashi raised his head to seek out the Naruto who called out, the ninja jumping on the spot and waving his hands in the air. 'The green pigment from the leaf is on his hands, but the job's still not done.' Kakashi noticed. He grinned, "Good job Naruto!"

"Ahh! I got it as well!"

Kakashi raised a thumbs-up in approval.

"Me too!"

"So did I!"

Kakashi looked up again, and noticed a good quarter of the clones that Naruto had created were green-handed and giddily dancing with each other. "Hey Naruto, maybe you should have the successful clones dispel themselves so you and the others can get some of the knowledge back!" He suggested, 'What a guy, there's so much talent with water techniques there and I never would have guessed!'

"Right Kakashi-sensei!" The real Naruto replied with a salute. He concentrated for a moment, and the celebrating clones all vanished; a pile of half-dry leaves left in their disappearance. Naruto felt the knowledge enter his mind, and he stumbled.

"Careful Naruto, the information you take in can cause great stress to your mind! If you'd absorbed all of the clones' attempts at once, you might've passed out," Kakashi called. "And if you pass out, all of the work will be for nothing!"

"Right!" Naruto replied determinedly. "I'll do it carefully."

"I did it!" A clone's yelled from the back of the crowd, "I got all the water out!"

"Oh?" Kakashi noised interestedly, "Let me take a look." The clone pushed through the others jubilantly.

"Check it out Kakashi-sensei!" He said cheerfully, "I did it!" The clone rubbed the sweat from his forehead, and unintentionally spread the green from the leaf all over his face. "Not so stupid now, am I?" He boasted, his face a strange green colour. Kakashi stifled a laugh at the clone's expense, and he jabbed at the clone with his free hand, which disappeared with a disgruntled "Hey!"

Gasps of realisation swept through the crowd of clones, and Kakashi watched each of them complete the task one-by-one. "Okay, I'll dismiss you all ten at a time!" The original Naruto called, as he too had completed it.

Kakashi moved to relieve Yamato of duty temporarily, and put a hand to his shoulder. "Yamato, you can stop now." He said smilingly, "Naruto's done for the moment."

"He was exceptionally quick, Kakashi," Yamato muttered, "It took me weeks to do my first leaf and Naruto mastered it in a mere hour!"

Kakashi smiled as they watched Naruto dispel another ten clones. "Naruto's always surprised me, so eventually it got to the stage when nothing he's said or done has _any_ effect on me."

"You know Kakashi, that's not something positive," Yamato frowned. "In fact, that sounds slightly neglectful and careless."

"… You say something Tenzou?"

Yamato sweat-dropped, "Never mind."

"Kakashi-sensei, Yamato-taichou, look!" Naruto called, as he used the last leaf of the tree to demonstrate his new skill. He focused his chakra for a moment, and suddenly the water burst from the leaf and the green liquid shot onto his palms.

"Wonderful, Naruto!" Yamato complimented him. "Now you just have to master the waterfall exercise!"

"I'll do this one even quicker!" Naruto promised, and darted over to the waterfall while pulling off his jacket and trousers as he ran. He stood on the bridge that Yamato had created directly under the fall of the water and created eleven clones to share it with him. "What do I do?"

"Naruto, this time you're meant to manipulate the water to fall around you rather than onto you," Kakashi called back, "It would probably work best if you form the Rat or Hare seals which are commonly used in Suiton (Water Release) techniques."

"Right!" Naruto replied, and two clones moved their hands into the Rat seal while his fingers moved into the Hare, "Like this?"

"That's right!" Kakashi replied. "Have you got any advice Yamato?"

Yamato frowned with thought for a moment and said, "Make sure you picture you chakra moving like water, and push the water upwards and away from you."

And so they did. Kakashi and Yamato looked on eagerly, (Yamato in particular as he was given a chance to rest and replenish his chakra) and after ten minutes Kakashi muttered, "After him completing the first part of the training so quickly, I thought he'd have this down fast."

Yamato nodded, "Maybe he needs more clones?"

"Then you should probably give him the space to use them, eh Yamato?" Kakashi said with a smile. "I'd expect no less from my favourite subordinate!"

Yamato looked at Kakashi starry-eyed, and he moulded his chakra and moved through the hand seals that he had formed before, 'This is going to be exhausting for me…' He thought apprehensively. And suddenly, the earthy platform that Naruto and the clones were working on stretched and enlarged to at least ten times the size, the waterfall spreading with it.

"Naruto, feel free to use your clones!" Kakashi informed him over the roar of the water. "They'll speed you up!"

"Okay!" Naruto affirmed, and immediately over one-hundred clones filled the space that Yamato had given him. "Thanks Yamato-taichou!"

Kakashi looked to his side, only to see Yamato panting in exertion. "Do you want a soldier pill?"

"No… I'll be fine in a minute… I just need to catch my breath…" Yamato breathed as he sat down on the floor. Yamato concentrated again, and the same tiger-statues shot up from the ground around him, each with a lit candle at the top.

The day drifted from morning to afternoon, and Yamato and Kakashi could finally see the clones managing to repel the water from themselves. "Naruto, you should dispel some of the clones so you can all figure out how to do it," Kakashi suggested, "Or would you like me to do it for you?"

"Go for it Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto replied with frustration, "I'm a bit busy here!" And as if Kakashi had been waiting for a cue all along, he tossed five kunai at the unsuspecting clones who each vanished in a poof. "Oh, that's how they did it!" A number of the clones said aloud, "Amazing!"

"I bet we'll see another boost in ability here Yamato! As soon as some of the clones get it, if they get dispelled, the rest seem to understand it too," Kakashi said interestedly, "I didn't think that the clones would retain the information afterwards, but that's definitely a boost to the training!"

Yamato grimaced at him, "Yes, that's nice Kakashi…" he said restrainedly. "Would it be alright if I had that soldier pill now?"

Kakashi reached into his pocket, and said "Ah, here you go, my favourite subordina-"

"Woohoo! I did it!" the Naruto group shouted from the waterfall, each one whooping and jumping in celebration.

Kakashi and Yamato faced them again, only to see that the liquid had angled completely over the clones in an odd fashion, and each one was barely visible behind the veil of the cascading water.

"Fantastic!" Yamato complimented, his exhaustion forgotten. "He's mastered the water within a single day!"

"Now it's only time for him to master earth," Kakashi reminded him lightly.

And Yamato wept.

**

* * *

**

Shikamaru and Asuma often played Shogi, and the pair had done so since their team had started off almost three years before. They normally sat and played outside Shikamaru's clan-house while Chouji ate piggishly and Ino complained cattily.

Shikamaru watched Asuma make a move. "That's a change, suddenly you're on the offensive," Shikamaru remarked off-handedly. "You should take it easy you know, we've got a lot of time left."

Asuma levelled Shikamaru a smirk, "It's the first time invading enemy territory, sometimes a man's got to be able to move like this."

Shikamaru scowled, "I thought you didn't move like that, I thought you moved a piece carefully. Like me."

"To protect the 'King' when dealing with a stronger opponent, it's like they say," Asuma explained and he shifted the position of another piece. "You have to make sacrifices."

Shikamaru said nothing, and contemplated Asuma's behaviour and his own next move. "… Did something happen Asuma?"

Asuma blew the smoke from his mouth, "Nah, it's nothing. It's just that I've finally begun to understand the importance of the 'King.'"

Shikamaru considered what he said, and slid a tile of his across the board. "Well, if the 'King' is taken it means the end of the game."

Asuma nodded, and moved his own piece. "If I were to liken Konoha Ninja to these pieces Shikamaru, you'd just about be a 'Knight.'" Asuma commented and he moved his own.

Shikamaru frowned at the line the conversation had taken, "Why is that?"

"This piece hasn't got _much_ strength, but it's able to keep jumping and moving over pieces. It is unique and always moves forward. It's a lot like you with your creativity and flexible planning," Asuma said, and he gestured for Shikamaru to continue the game.

Shikamaru nodded impatiently, and moved his piece without looking at the board. "Then how about you Asuma-sensei?"

Asuma smiled, albeit a bit sadly. "I'm nothing. I'm just a…" He moved the 'Rook' ahead once space.

"So what? You're just a sacrificial piece?" Shikamaru replied dryly. He rolled his eyes, and pressed forwards to distract Asuma's offence from his 'King.'

Asuma eyed his movement, "Do you know who would be 'King' Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru placed both of his hands in his lap, and considered the question for a moment. "Wouldn't the 'King' be the Hokage?"

"I used to think so too, until some time ago," Asuma said agreeably, "But then I found out I was wrong."

"So if the Hokage isn't the 'King' who is it?" Shikamaru asked curiously. He watched Asuma push the 'Rook' in front of his 'Bishop.'

Asuma was silent for a moment, "You'll know when the time comes," he said evasively, and Shikamaru moaned in annoyance.

"Asuma-sensei!"

The porch area was quiet for a while.

Shikamaru finally made his move, "Checkmate, Asuma-sensei!"

"Haa, I've lost again!" Asuma grumbled exasperatedly. He set the board again, and Shikamaru stretched lazily.

"This means that when we celebrate at the end our next mission, the meal's on you eh?" Shikamaru said with a smirk. 'Enjoy paying for Chouji's meal,' He thought slyly, 'He eats just as much as Asuma, Ino and me put together!'

"Okay," Asuma said reluctantly, yet smiling. "We haven't all met up in a while anyway."

* * *

It was a dark night in Fire Country, and deep within Training Ground Fifty, Kakashi, Naruto and Yamato relaxed in the darkness. Naruto had completed the first stage of the Doton (Earth Release) training, with minor difficulty and Kakashi had forcibly stopped him from moving onto the second step, (much to Yamato's relief.)

Naruto looked up at the stars and noticed a streaming star in the sky above him 'A shooting star…' he smiled. He closed his eyes for a moment. But all he could do was think back to what Kakashi said during his Doton training.

* * *

"_Naruto, you can take it easy you know! It took a genius like Sasuke days to learn even one Elemental release, and you've almost learnt Water and Earth in one," Kakashi said, "Maybe you should relax on this training a bit!" _

_"Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke is the one I'm meant to be able to bring back! Shouldn't I try my best? He wants to kill Itachi, and he'll be working as hard as this every day!" Naruto argued, "I need to bring him back home to Konoha!"_

_"Naruto, rest for now. I think you and Yamato could do with trying to regain your chakra before you progress any further…" Kakashi replied firmly, "Get some rest now, and we'll discuss it tomorrow."_

* * *

The moon hung in the sky half-full, and all Naruto could think of was training. 'I'm so close to being able to use the Mokuton now! I have to go all the way.' He thought, before getting to his feet. 'Kakashi and Yamato explained the next stage to me earlier, so I'll work on it alone.'

Kakashi opened his (only visible) eye tiredly, only to see Naruto head towards the waterfall that Yamato had created earlier. "I guess before I do anything, I'll have to get rid of the water," Naruto muttered. He walked quickly to the base of the waterfall, and made sure to stand on the water to help his chakra connect to it. With a light smile, Naruto formed a hand seal, which Kakashi noticed seemed to be a mixture of the Rat and Hare seals.

His right hand followed the Hare seal, and the forefinger and thumb formed an L-shape (on it's side), while the rest of his fingers curled into his palm, and his left hand followed the Rat seal and loosely wrapped around the thumb of his right hand. "Using this I should gather the power from the Hare seal, and the control of the Rat seal," Naruto murmured, and he closed his eyes.

Kakashi peered at him from his sleeping place on the floor, and he could praise the blond's ingenuity, 'A brilliant deduction, it seems like he's definitely a natural at using the elements.'

Naruto opened his eyes, and pushed his chakra through his body. "Haa!" He growled, and the waterfall which had ran constantly throughout the last day immediately stopped, and gushed into the earth and dissolved into the small mountain.

And Naruto tried furiously to remember Yamato's tip for the stage one of Doton.

* * *

_"The key with Doton techniques is to push your chakra through the solid earth and to use it to prop it up, move it, weaken it or solidify it in any way you want. Doton is the most flexible technique you can use, and is only restricted to the mind of the user."_

* * *

"In the first stage I had to force the leaf to disintegrate by using earth chakra," Naruto reminded himself, "So by doing that I'd be weakening the earth by pushing chakra through it."

Kakashi watched him silently.

"But I can't just weaken the earth to do what I need to…" Naruto considered his options for a moment. "So to complete stage two I'd have to move it, and balance the amount I weaken and solidify the ground," Naruto decided. "I'd have to make it so it's strong enough not to collapse completely and weak enough to mould into what ever shape I want." A mischievous grin hit Naruto's face, and Kakashi could only feel apprehensive.

"Tajyuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Mass Shadow Clone Technique) he said firmly, and two thousand Shadow clones appeared into existence alongside him with a mass of gray smog.

Kakashi considered stopping Naruto for a moment, and decided against it. 'I really should have Yamato up so he can control the Kyuubi's chakra, but from the looks of it Naruto wants to do this alone.' And so, he did what he thought was best for his student. He went back to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Heir of the Sage**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is solely the possession of Kishimoto, alas I only own the computer I used to write a story based on his wonderful work.

**Summary****: **When Naruto is learning how to use his Elemental Affinity from Yamato and Kakashi, they end up with far more than he bargained for! Mokuton!Naruto AU

**Author's Note****: **Sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but I covered everything that I wanted to. The next chapter is going to be far longer though, so no worries!

* * *

**Chapter Three****: His Training [Part Two]**

Nothing could have prepared Kakashi and Yamato for the sight they would have when they woke up. Exactly ten feet in front of them was a slightly tired Naruto, and a replica of the Hokage Mountain with one key change- Naruto's head was after Tsunade's, his eyes showing the exact same determination that Kakashi had seen the night before, the whisker marks that Kyuubi's presence in Naruto's body were displayed on the face proudly and his face in an all too familiar smile.

"Great job Naruto!" Yamato complimented, "I've got to test the strength of it first, but from the looks of it you did it!"

"Thanks Yamato-taichou!" Naruto grinned, "I'm definitely ready to start using the Mokuton now!" Yamato laughed, and moved forwards to feel the strength and texture of the mountainous creation, while Kakashi stood still and continued to examine the structure.

"You know, Naruto," Kakashi said, "I've known it for a while, but I think it's time I should tell you… you're the only man who can surpass the Yondaime Hokage."

Naruto felt his face redden a bit, "Thanks Kakashi-sensei! I'll do my best." But he couldn't help but wonder. 'What was that funny tone in Kakashi-sensei's voice?'

"I'm proud of you, Naruto," Kakashi said.

It was pride.

* * *

"That about sums it up, are there any questions?" Tsunade asked, her hazel eyes alive with worry. Akatsuki were within the borders of Fire Country, and they had attacked and demolished the renowned Fire Temple, a palace of Monks well known for their fighting ability.

Tsunade herself had organised the Niju Shotai (Twenty Platoons), a fighting force of twenty platoons of four-man teams which would directly combat the threat of Akatsuki. 'I can't help but worry about them; they're all going to go head-to-head with S-Ranked ninja…' Tsunade was unsurprised when she saw Asuma raise his hand; everyone knew he had acquaintances in the Temple of Fire. "What is it, Asuma?"

"Chiriku like me is a former member of the Shugonin Junisihi (Twelve Guardian Ninja). He should have been at the Temple of Fire too," Asuma said, "What's happened to him?"

It was only then that the monk at Tsunade's side spoke, "Chiriku-sama is dead," he said regretfully, "He died at the hands of those Akatsuki."

'They killed Chiriku? That's impossible…' Asuma thought in shock. He did not trust himself to verbalise a reply. Shikamaru gave him a measured look, and Asuma composed himself.

Tsunade frowned, "I wish to find out the Akatsuki members' intentions. But they are extremely dangerous, and likely the strongest opponents any of you will have ever or _will_ ever face. In the event that their capture becomes impossible… eliminate them." Tsunade gave the group of ninja a firm look, "I trust you all with this mission above all others, but I must tell you: Do not let them out of Fire Country. Find them at all costs."

Tsunade looked Asuma in the eyes and saw his determination. "Go! You are dismissed!" she commanded, with a swipe of her hand.

And with that, the eighty gathered ninja dashed from the top of Hokage tower, and each group charged towards their objective: The Akatsuki.

* * *

"Well Naruto, your use of Doton was exemplary," Yamato complimented, "In fact I couldn't have done better myself."

"So now it's time for you to begin the Mokuton training," Kakashi announced, "And for this I'm going to let Yamato take the reigns, as it were, and I'm going to go and get us lunch-"

"Ichiraku!" Naruto shouted, "I haven't eaten in a day and I need Ichiraku Ramen!"

"All right! Then that's what I'll get," Kakashi promised, "Yamato, I'm entrusting my student to you."

"I'll do my best Kakashi-senpai," Yamato swore, "Naruto will be just as proficient in his control of the Mokuton as I am by the end of the day, if he manages to show as much talent in the Mokuton as he did with Doton and Suiton!"

"So how do you do it then Yamato-taichou?" Naruto asked, "I managed use Mokuton last night, but only a bit."

"Well to use the Mokuton, you would have to use one hand to channel your Doton and the other one to channel your Suiton powers," Yamato informed, "I like to…"

Kakashi left at this point, satisfied with Yamato's teachings. And he began to leisurely make his way towards the Ichiraku Ramen shop. 'Hmm, it was such a nice day yesterday, and now it's all clouded over.'

* * *

Asuma, Shikamaru and their teammates Kotetsu and Izumo landed at the top of a building in Konoha's most expensive residential district. "We'll start our search from the Temple of Fire," Asuma instructed, as he looked straight ahead into the window of the building in front of them. "Somebody's gotta do it." Shikamaru saw him watching something intently, and he could not help but look confused.

Asuma ignored Shikamaru's curiosity. "Let's go," he said sombrely.

On the other side of the window panel, Kurenai Yuuhi could tell someone was watching her from the outside. She turned cautiously to see who it was, and could see no-one. 'I wonder when Asuma will be coming home,' she thought unsurely. 'The summons from the Hokage seemed fairly important.'

She let her hand drift to her belly, and she winced when she felt their baby kick. 'He had better take care of himself.'

* * *

"Look at that Yamato-taichou!" Naruto said excitedly, "It's a tree!" Naruto thought for a moment, "I never thought I'd be that excited by a tree…"

Yamato snorted, "Do you want to try using the Kage Bunshin training again? I have a technique that I think will be perfect for you."

"But… I thought I was learning a Mokuton version of Rasengan?" Naruto asked confusedly.

"This technique will be perfect for the Mokuton Rasengan; learning it would also provide vital experience in manipulating wood and trees," Yamato explained. "You should definitely learn it first."

"Okay, I will," Naruto said, "But you'd better give me all the tips I need!"

Yamato rolled his eyes, "What kind of teacher would I be if I let you figure out the technique on your own?"

"A Jiraiya kind of teacher."

"… Oh."

* * *

Kakashi walked casually towards Ichiraku Ramen when he saw the familiar sight of one of his fellow Sensei, "Hey Asuma!"

Asuma, Shikamaru, Kotetsu and Izumo landed in front of Kakashi, who seemed taken aback by their solemn expressions. "Kakashi, I'd better warn you," Asuma said hurriedly, "The Akatsuki has been spotted within Fire Country and they demolished the Fire Temple completely."

"Wait, what?" Kakashi replied, beyond shocked. "You think they've come here for Naruto?"

Asuma nodded, "Tsunade thinks it's possible. She's mobilised the Niju Shotai, and I've got a bad feeling about this." At this point Kakashi noticed that Shikamaru looked concerned too; a fact that was most unusual considering Shikamaru was normally too lazy to feel concerned.

"So just in case the worst happens, you want me to make sure Naruto's prepared?" Kakashi guessed, 'They'll be surprised when they find out just how prepared he'll be!'

* * *

"I got it Yamato-taichou!" Naruto said with a grin, "I've finally done the Mokujouheki!" (Wood Locking Wall)

"So I can see," Yamato responded cheerfully, "So are you ready to learn the Rasengan version?"

"Actually Yamato-taichou, I kind of had an idea for a technique of my own," Naruto said sheepishly. "It should be easy to learn too."

"Oh? Explain the point of the technique and the theory behind it then," Yamato asked him.

"Okay, I don't know what the technique is called," Naruto said, "But what happens is-"

"Naruto, Yamato, the Akatsuki have been seen in Fire Country," Kakashi appeared beside them suddenly, exhibiting impressive speed.

Naruto simply moved his hands into his favourite seal.

"They've demolished the Fire Temple and most of the monks there," Kakashi added.

"What?!" Yamato exclaimed, "Surely not! The Fire Country Monks have been around even longer than Konoha!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Naruto said quietly, forcing one hundred clones to appear around him. "I'm going to be completely out of chakra soon," Naruto said. "I'm going to learn this technique, and then I'll rest."

Kakashi nodded, "Have you learnt the Rasengan variant?"

Yamato shook his head, "We decided to work on another technique first, and Naruto's thought of an original technique he would like to pursue, so we're putting it off for now."

"Naruto, don't you think that we could use the firepower that the Mokuton: Rasengan could give us?" Kakashi asked as each of the clones concentrated on channelling their earth and water chakra.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto muttered, "We don't know how the Mokuton: Rasengan will turn out, but I know how my technique will turn out…"

Kakashi and Yamato shared a look of curiosity. "Okay Naruto, I'll bite," Yamato said, "What is your technique?"

"It's an assassination technique," Naruto said darkly, "The Mokuton: Senkenbutai," (Wood Release: The Vanguard).


	4. Chapter 4

**Heir of the Sage**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is solely the possession of Kishimoto, alas I only own the computer I used to write a story based on his wonderful work.

**Summary****: **When Naruto is learning how to use his Elemental Affinity from Yamato and Kakashi, they end up with far more than he bargained for! Now Naruto is armed with the abilities of the First Hokage, how will he deal with his enemies? Mokuton!Naruto AU

**Author's Note:** I have to warn you here! This chapter is quite graphic and has bad language. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Chapter Four****: His Defence**

Team Asuma had moved stealthily through the night, taking small and energising breaks on the way. It would take them longer than normally as the Akatsuki would doubtlessly be expecting an attack.

They eventually reach the now half-demolished Temple of Fire. A group of monks shuffled tiredly out of the temple to meet them. "Who are you?" They asked cautiously.

"We are Konoha ninja," Kotetsu said and pointed to his forehead protector, "And we are here to find the people that did this to the Temple."

The monks nodded in acceptance, and the Elder monk motioned to them, "Come inside. You may find clues to their whereabouts."

They followed the monks inside, only to find the main room cleared of rubble and filled with coffins. "Okay, so where's Chiriku's body?" Asuma asked them.

One of the monks responded nervously, "Unfortunately, Chiriku-sama's body is the only one we could not retrieve."

"Uhh Asuma-taichou?" Izumo muttered, "I'm not sure how to put it, but an underground organisation put a thirty million ryo bounty on Chiriku's head," he said, "Akatsuki must be trying to cash in on him."

"They must be," Asuma agreed distastefully.

"That means they'll be headed to an exchange point," Shikamaru pointed out. "They must be taking Chiriku's body with them."

Kotetsu nodded, "Izumo, where's the nearest exchange points?"

Izumo grunted, and flipped through some paperwork, "There are five nearby including the one nearest us."

Kotetsu nodded, "Let me send out messenger birds to alert the nearest four teams to head towards the other exchange points." Kotetsu wrote out four identical messages, and summoned four small birds. "Take these messages to the four nearest Konoha Teams," he explained and attached the messages to their feet. "And do it fast!"

The birds flew through a hole in the roof agilely, and they watched them go. "Good, let's get going too," Asuma said gruffly.

"Just a moment Asuma Sarutobi-dono," the Elder Monk said. "If you're about to head into battle, please let us say a prayer for you..." The monk requested politely. "It's what Chiriku would have wanted us to do."

Asuma didn't need to think over the offer, and immediately smiled at the gesture, "Thanks," he said and he shook the Elder Monk's hand.

The gathered monks put their hands together in prayer, and the group murmured together incomprehensibly, in peaceable tones. Asuma, Izumo and Kotetsu faced them with bowed heads, while Shikamaru frowned at the whole affair. 'Asuma passed the Elder Monk a piece of paper when he shook his hand; I wonder what it says,' he thought grimly.

The monks lifted their heads, and the Elder said, "The prayer has ended."

"Thank you," Asuma said gratefully, and the group turned to leave.

"Wait, Asuma-dono," The Elder Monk said quickly, "Your waistband… It's like Chiriku's." Shikamaru glanced at the cloth that was bound around Asuma's waist curiously, and noticed the sign on the material, 'Fire.' The Monk continued gravely, "You had best be careful, anyone from the Twelve Guardian Ninja has a bounty on his head… please take care."

"Don't worry about me," Asuma replied positively, "The bounty on my head is five million more than Chiriku's," he put up his hand to emphasise it with each of his fingers and thumb. "They won't take my head without a hell of a fight!"

The monks bowed, and Asuma and his team left swiftly, and as soon as they found the cover of the trees, Shikamaru could not resist asking, "Asuma-sensei, what kind of relationship did you have with Chiriku?"

Asuma asked, "What's this all of a sudden?"

"You haven't lit up a cigarette in over two days, and everybody knows what a heavy smoker you are," Shikamaru said. "I mean whenever you quit, it's because something happened!"

Asuma snorted, "Very observant, if you see through me like this, I'm not hiding things quite well enough!"

Shikamaru smirked, "Actually, whenever we play Shogi I read you like a book…" and Shikamaru hesitated, "It's just that you haven't quit for this long since the Sandaime died."

Izumo and Kotetsu's faces were solemn and they said nothing. This was clearly a talk reserved for Teacher and Student.

"Chiriku and I were both members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja," Asuma said reservedly. "To put it simply, we were the best of friends. Much like you and Chouji." Shikamaru frowned, as he felt pain and sadness emanate from his teacher.

"You know, smoking's one of those habits that just doesn't break," Asuma continued, "Quitting isn't one of those things that lasts you know?" Izumo and Kotetsu laughed knowingly, and Shikamaru grinned. Asuma chuckled with them, "At least that's how it's been so far. But you know, Shikamaru, I'm touched that you're worried about me and all, but the reason I quit wasn't Chiriku's death."

Shikamaru looked at him sharply, and Asuma felt the need to explain, "There's something more important than that. But never mind that now, these Akatsuki clearly have serious skills if they are powerful enough to take out Chiriku," Asuma warned, "Don't let down your guard."

* * *

Team Asuma stopped when they reached their destination, the Exchange Point. "Look, there's the Akatsuki member on his own," Kotetsu muttered, "We should get him while he has no back up."

"I agree," Asuma replied quietly. "Kotetsu, Izumo, attack from the sides. I'll attack from behind to draw his attention, so when he faces me disable him from behind Shikamaru."

The Akatsuki member sat on the steps. He had a head of pale blond hair, and from the looks of him he carried strange and unknown weaponry. His face was unfamiliar, but the signature black cloak with red clouds however was what identified him clearly.

"Geez the smell of that place!" The man muttered, "Stayed in there for five minutes, and the stench totally sank into my clothes."

"Right, I'm going!" Asuma said, and he dropped to the ground and moved swiftly to the front of the building. 'He'll mistake me for the partner that's still in the Exchange Point, we'll have to take him out fast!'

"Hey Kakuzu, what took you-" The man said, only to turn around to see Asuma who already had a hand on his weapon. "Shit!"

Asuma launched a kunai directly at the man, knowing he would either move to avoid it or deflect it with the strange weapon. The blond haired man moved quickly, his strange tool swinging around on an odd whip-like base. He flicked the weapon at Asuma, who jumped away speedily to avoid it cutting off one of his feet. 'It's a scythe!' Asuma noted after he landed. The man's hand was still outstretched, and he started to yank the scythe back, when suddenly blood erupted from his mouth.

"Too late," Shikamaru smirked; his shadow had stretched to meet the Akatsuki member's own, and held him firmly in place. The man's eyes however locked onto the swords that Kotetsu and Izumo had taken the opportunity to plunge into his sides. Kotetsu roughly twisted the sword in the man's side, hoping to inflict even more pain before he died.

Asuma grinned victoriously, "One down!"

And the group couldn't suppress their shock when the Akatsuki member spat out a gob of blood, and moaned, "Ouch man, who the hell are you guys?" The blond haired man sighed raggedly, "Stop moving man, it hurts so much!"

"Wait… h-he should be dead!" Izumo's voice shook, "What the…?"

Kotetsu's face was grim, "Is this guy immortal?"

The Akatsuki member laughed heavily, "Isn't it obvious? Who the hell are you anyway?"

The pair didn't answer him, so the Akatsuki looked towards the man in front of him- Asuma. The Akatsuki members' eyes immediately landed on the sash at his waste. "Please tell me we're not going back into that cesspool," he moaned emphatically.

Asuma felt confusion for a moment, then realised that the man's eyes were on his waistband. 'This is definitely the man that killed Chiriku…' Asuma gathered himself, "We are Konoha ninja, and we are under orders to restrain you, or otherwise eliminate you," he said tonelessly

The Akatsuki member snorted.

"As Akatsuki members work in pairs," Asuma continued, trying to buy time to think, "We were planning on capturing your partner after taking you out, but it looks like your abilities will be a problem." He lifted his hands, his trench knives on his hands at the ready.

"Looks like you chose the wrong man to go after," the platinum-blond man said acidly.

'So this is the Akatsuki… how do you deal with powers like that? Not even the Kagenui (Shadow Stitch) will help here!' Shikamaru thought in panic, 'How would we defeat them?

"Where's your partner?" Asuma asked carefully. 'I need to _know_ where he is so I can put my mind at ease…'

Shikamaru froze in fear, he could feel the other Akatsuki behind him, "Shit!" He darted to the side, barely avoiding an explosive strike that destroyed the side of the Exchange Point building.

"Haha! I'm free!" The blond cheered, as Shikamaru released the bind technique by accident.

"Crap, he's loose! Kotetsu, Izumo fall back!" Asuma ordered, just as Shikamaru landed behind him. The other Akatsuki member followed, and jumped down to directly confront them.

"It looks like you hit the jackpot for once, Hidan," the newcomer said in a rusty and grated voice.

The blond man, Hidan, spat out blood once again. "Don't you touch them Kakuzu!"

Asuma looked at Hidan in shock, 'What's going on? Do these two not get along? We could use that to our advantage…'

"They're all a part of my ritual! I'm killing them all!" He claimed violently, "I'll let you take the money for that Guardian Ninja though!"

Asuma resisted the urge to roll his eyes, 'Screw using that to our advantage, they're just arguing over who gets to kill us!'

Kakuzu nodded his acceptance; his solid, opaque turquoise eyes followed all their movements. "I'll let you do as you please then. But watch yourself, if you aren't careful you _might_ die!"

Hidan snorted, and slid his foot through his blood. "Every damn time! You always say that to me," he said, "Yet they never actually manage it!" He slid his foot around the other side now, and formed a circle of blood around him. "But you know what? If they manage it, I couldn't be happier!" He formed a triangle of blood within the circle and grinned cruelly. "But I don't think they can!"

"I'll go in Shikamaru," Asuma volunteered, "You look for an opening to hold him down in your Kagenui (Shadow Stitch), I only need a second…" Asuma channelled wind chakra to his trench knives, "I'll lop off his head."

Shikamaru immediately protested, "Asuma-sensei, that's way too risky! It's not like you."

"What're you piss-ants talking about?" Hidan called mockingly, "Don't whisper! It means I don't get to chat too!"

"I agree," Kotetsu said to Shikamaru. They ignored Hidan's shriek, and Izumo said nothing, his eyes completely focused on Kakuzu.

Asuma turned to Shikamaru, his eyes alive with fear, "Don't you get it?" Asuma asked almost manically, desperation leaked into his voice. "These guys outdo me by far! Izumo, Kotetsu, you two keep an eye on the other one while guarding Shikamaru."

Shikamaru found Asuma's panic infectious, 'This is the first time I've ever seen Asuma this worried and hopeless!'

"Knowing their strength," Izumo said, "Is all the more reason to retreat Asuma!"

"Yes," Kotetsu agreed, "We can retreat and think up a counter-"

"-Don't even _think _they'll let us go that easily," Asuma replied firmly, "If we try to leave with our tail between our legs, we're done for. Even if we escaped, all that would do is put Konoha in further danger!"

Shikamaru looked away from Asuma bleakly.

"We need to be the 'Vanguard that breaks enemy lines' right about now!" Asuma said referring to their Shogi game from the day before. He took a shuddering breath to calm himself.

Hidan finally yanked Kotetsu's sword from out of his side, and he let the blood rush out for a moment. "Hell that hurts!" He complained, "You go and stab me over and over, you two. Divine judgement awaits heathens who are ignorant to the pain of others!" Hidan shoved the sword into the ground, and sheathed it firmly in the soil.

"… Asuma," Shikamaru said quietly, "You're not just a sacrificial 'Rook' piece, you know?"

Asuma chuckled dryly, "I'll be more than a sacrificial piece today. I have the 'Knight' looking after me, you know?" Asuma's eyes met Hidan's.

"I'm _prepared_ for you, Konoha ninja," he spat, "And I'll enjoy giving all of your souls to Jashin-sama."

Shikamaru focused his chakra and formed his Kagenui hand seal.

And Asuma shot forwards, wind chakra buzzing harshly on the edges of his trench knives. Hidan ran forward as well at a slightly slower pace, and he launched himself at Asuma, the two meeting in the air. Their weapons collided, and they dropped to the floor again. Asuma flipped backwards, and bounced straight ahead to confront Hidan again, who had landed on his hand and sprung upwards and above Asuma.

A large chunk of one of the scythe's sharp edges dropped to the floor and dug into the ground, and Shikamaru sent forwards his shadow to capture Hidan. The Akatsuki member landed back on his seal, and reached downwards and unsheathed Kotetsu's sword from the ground, he flung it quickly at Asuma, who was forced halt his advance. Asuma used his trench knives' extremely sharp wind enhanced edge and cut straight through the sword as if it were butter, and continued onwards again, in an attempt to regain his momentum. Hidan slung out his scythe again, and he whipped it at Asuma's body. Asuma jumped over the weapon, and Hidan unexpected pulled at the whip, the action forcing the large bladed weapon to swing back and upwards to cut Asuma's head in two, starting at his chin.

"Asuma!" Shikamaru shouted in fear for his teacher's life.

The blade was inches away from Asuma's jaw. "Mokuton: Mokujouheki!" (Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall)

And Asuma landed on his feet, a strange brown-wooden covering. He heard the loud 'thunk' of the scythe on the other side of the screen. "… What on Earth?"

"I hope we're not too late, Asuma-sensei!"

Asuma turned, and he could only feel relief. Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto, Sakura and Sai stood alongside Shikamaru, Kotetsu and Izumo. "No, Naruto, I think you're right on time!"

* * *

_Asuma, Shikamaru, Kotetsu and Izumo jumped from roof to roof on their way out of Konoha, when Asuma heard someone call his name. "Hey Asuma!"_

_Asuma, Shikamaru, Kotetsu and Izumo landed in front of Kakashi, who seemed taken aback by their solemn expressions. "Kakashi, I'd better warn you," Asuma said hurriedly, "The Akatsuki has been spotted within Fire Country and they demolished the Fire Temple completely."_

_"Wait, what?" Kakashi replied, beyond shocked. "You think they've come here for Naruto?"_

_Asuma nodded, "Tsunade thinks it's possible. She's mobilised the Niju Shotai, and I've got a bad feeling about this." At this point Kakashi noticed that Shikamaru looked concerned too; a fact that was most unusual considering Shikamaru was normally too lazy to feel concerned._

_"So just in case the worst happens, you want me to make sure Naruto's prepared?" Kakashi guessed._

_"Yes. That's the main part," Asuma said, "But they other part is that I would like to ask if you could back us up?"_

_"How long do we have?" Kakashi asked immediately, "Naruto is learning a very important technique, and if he's capable of the amount of talent he showed yesterday, I'm certain he'll have learnt it by this evening."_

_"We've still got to co-ordinate our movements and plans, but it should take us until tomorrow morning to catch up with the Akatsuki," Asuma thought aloud, "If you move at top-speed you should be able to leave by six tomorrow morning and still catch up with us." It was true; it would take Asuma's team longer to pursue the Akatsuki just in case they were lying in wait or had planted any traps._

_"Then we will, or we'll get another team to replace us if there's any problems," Kakashi promised, "When you see what Naruto can do, you'll be very surprised."_

_"I look forward to it," Asuma laughed, "Let's go plan at the gate," he said to his team. Shikamaru, Izumo and Kotetsu nodded the affirmative and moved ahead of Asuma. "Listen Kakashi, Tsunade seemed very worried," Asuma muttered, "And she wouldn't be worrying without reason. You shouldn't have any problems trying to convince her to send you after us."_

_"Asuma, why do you think it's your team who will find the Akatsuki in the first place?" Kakashi asked, "Why are you so sure?"_

_Asuma replied, "It's a feeling."_

* * *

"… Naruto, did you just use Mokuton?" Shikamaru asked, relief and curiosity flooded through him.

"Yep! I'm a natural!" He grinned at his old classmate. "So what do we know about these Akatsuki?"

Shikamaru blinked slowly at Naruto's answer. "Next to nothing," Asuma said as he trudged back towards the group, "But there's one thing to note: The guy with the scythe is immortal."

"The best thing to do right now, is split these two up," Kakashi advised, "Yamato, Izumo, Kotetsu, Sai, you should take the Scythe user."

Izumo and Kotetsu shakily agreed, and immediately Yamato channelled the chakra for a Mokuton technique, "Let's go, Sai!" He ordered, and dosens of trees shot out from the floor around Hidan.

A tree sprouted from the ground underneath Hidan's feet, and he leaped off of the top of the tree only to come face to face with two ink-black tigers that clawed at him angrily, "Woah!"

"Kotetsu, Izumo, stay back and look for an opening to take off his body parts!" Asuma said, "The two of you will have better luck than me with the long range support."

The pair nodded, and each used a scroll to summon a new sword. "We'll see you later!" Izumo said in a bad attempt at nonchalance as each of them could hear the apprehension in his voice. The two ran straight after Yamato and Sai who had managed to push Hidan away and out of sight.

Kakashi, Asuma, Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru now stood in front of the unknown, 'Kakuzu.' "Sakura, you stay at a tactical distance unless you think you can get a shot in to take him down, Asuma, you and I will go in close distance-"

"Hold on, isn't Naruto a close-combat type?" Asuma argued, "No offence Kakashi, but I think he'd be better at this!"

"Things changed Asuma-sensei," Naruto replied, "I can fight from _any_ distance now."

Kakashi continued as if uninterrupted, "Shikamaru, you stay at long distance and try and catch him in your shadow."

"Kakashi-sensei, I think I'm going to help the others with the other Akatsuki," Shikamaru said, "Something bothers me about his technique."

Kakashi nodded confusedly but didn't let it faze him, "Looks like it's just us then, guys."

* * *

Yamato and Sai applied pressure to Hidan in the form of ink-made animals, and sharp, painful looking stakes of wood until Hidan was well out of his partner's sight. "You bastards are making a big mistake," Hidan warned, "Jashin-sama was just about to take that blasphemer's life when that blond bastard stopped me!" And suddenly, the Akatsuki member launched himself forwards, and moved straight from the defensive to the offensive. "I'll kill you for that!"

"Not if we kill you first," Sai said blandly, and he slung a set of shuriken directly at Hidan. Hidan let them hit him, and he continued to run straight at Sai, who was unnerved by the behaviour. Sai jumped to the side, away from Hidan's charge, and he could only watch as he continued like a rampaging bull.

Hidan moved swiftly and savagely, "I'll serve your souls to Jashin-sama for breakfast!" He shouted, and he swung the scythe against a tree, the rope twisting around it and the blades coming dangerously close to Sai's face. Sai jumped up onto a branch, and he ran his brush across a scroll of parchment, immediately bringing to life a large eagle. Sai bounced off of the branch and landed onto the bird's back, and he soared above the forest very far out of Hidan's reach.

Hidan brought his scythe up to his face to defend against Izumo's sword, and he planted a powerful kick on the Konoha ninja, which sent him down to the forest floor and away. He heard the crack of a broken twig, and started to turn around cautiously, only to find Kotetsu's sword piercing his back, penetrating his body through his ribcage.

Shikamaru arrived to see the group fighting back Hidan, and he scowled in thought, 'I heard him say that he was just about to take that 'blasphemer's life when Naruto stopped him,' he pondered. 'And he kept on moving back into the blood seal when we fought him before…'

"You bastard!" He growled, "I will have you die painfully!" Kotetsu drew the sword out of Hidan's back, and Hidan swung his scythe behind him- only to miss Kotetsu who was pushed out of the way by a large lump of wood that slithered quickly like a snake.

"Be careful," Yamato warned Kotetsu and he waved his hand at Hidan, "Suiton: Suihashu! (Water Release: Water Wave Hand)" Hidan found himself launched backwards by a hard burst of water.

The Akatsuki member barely found his feet, and he grabbed at a thin nearby tree. He used the momentum from the water technique to quickly climb up it, 'I'm lucky that wasn't a damaging attack,' Hidan thought grimly. "You bastards will regret this-" Suddenly, he realised he was not alone on the tree and unexpectedly his left arm was cut clean off.

"Regret that, you freak!" Kotetsu yelled, and he dropped straight off of the tree branch to temporarily retreat.

"My arm!" Hidan screamed, "You motherfucker!" The furious missing-ninja took off after Kotetsu, who had lost his footing when he had jumped down from the tree.

Kotetsu crawled backwards, and he could see the maniacal look in the Akatsuki member's eyes. Hidan swung his scythe dangerously at Kotetsu's neck and Kotetsu managed to roll backwards and away from the blades. Hidan yanked at the rope it was attached to again, and it swung off course, and this time the multiple blades plunged abruptly and completely into Kotetsu's neck.

* * *

Konoha was quiet, as if there was already a funeral taking place. And so Tsunade and Shizune waited in the Hokage's office, the pair of them anxious beyond measure. Tonton squealed at Shizune, who lifted her off of the table, "I know Tonton, I'm worried too."

Tsunade frowned, "Maybe I should never have let them go…" she wondered. 'But Naruto was so determined…'

* * *

_When the early morning light hit Konoha's Hokage Mountain, a group of five ninjas headed towards the Hokage's office. Kakashi led the group, Sakura followed after him, Sai after her, and Naruto and Yamato brought up the rear of the group. With a single knock, Kakashi led the group straight into the Tsunade's 'den.'_

_"Tsunade-sama, I would like to request that our team be sent after the Niju Shotai as back up. Asuma Sarutobi asked in particular for us to join him," Kakashi said. "And I don't plan to let them down."_

_"Kakashi, I understand your concern for your fellow ninja, but I cannot allow you to simply do as you please!" Tsunade replied in frustration._

_"Please Tsunade-sama," Sakura said, "If Asuma asked for us to go, he must have some kind of plan for us to aid them."_

_"That's right!" Naruto said, "You can't just send someone else, 'cause they wouldn't be expecting anyone else- if you send something they didn't ask for it could endanger the mission!"_

_"Naruto, we're meant to be protecting you from Akatsuki," Tsunade moaned, "You're not supposed to be in the front lines of this."_

_"Well you know what?" Naruto asked with equal frustration, "I should be in the front lines! I have the highest chakra capacity in Konoha, and other than Yamato-taichou, only I am capable of using the Mokuton!"_

_"… You can use the Mokuton?" Tsunade asked weakly, "And how is that possible?"_

_"I've arranged medical examinations for when we return Tsunade-sama," Sakura said briskly, "And you know that the Mokuton is the best offensive and defensive ninjutsu type there has ever been!"_

_"And that is why we should go," Naruto said firmly, "I'm the best choice for facing an unknown enemy."_

_Tsunade turned away from Team Kakashi and around to face the window. "Urgh, fine! Go! But you know what? You'd better not let them take you, Naruto."_

_"I won't Baa-chan!"_

_

* * *

_Tsunade held her head in her hands. "Did I make the wrong decision, Shizune?"

"Which decision?" Shizune asked, "I would assume you meant sending Naruto, but it's been a busy day!" she joked with a feeble laugh.

The Hokage grunted, "I'm worried for our ninja, don't get me wrong. But they won't just kill Naruto," her voice trembled. "They will tear his very essence from his body, and slowly torture him to death."

Shizune sighed, "Even if you _did_ make the wrong decision Tsunade-sama, it can't be helped now." Shizune saw the depressed look on Tsunade's face, and quickly amended herself, "But not to worry! Naruto's one of our finest ninja!"

Tsunade looked at Shizune through her fingers and ignored the last part, "I suppose you're right. It can't be helped."

* * *

"I got you!" Hidan cheered viciously and he twisted his scythe in Kotetsu's gullet, the ninja gurgled blood, "Take his life Jashi-"

-Kotetsu's body disappeared suddenly, only to be replaced by a lump of wood. "You mixed low level genjutsu with a Kawirimi no Jutsu (Replacement Technique)?" Hidan snorted, "How pathetic!"

"But it was pathetic enough to fool you!" Izumo retorted, and he flitted forwards, and swung his sword at Hidan's stomach which cut open thinly as Hidan had managed to barely pull away from the attack.

"I almost killed you earlier, you pathetic nay-sayer! I'll do it again!" Hidan roared like an animal, and he charged toward Izumo furiously. Izumo jumped up into the trees to avoid him just as Kotetsu threw a kunai which impacted on Hidan's shoulder.

Kotetsu smirked, "Boom." And Hidan could only feel a burst of pain as his shoulder blew up, with chunks of bone blasting out like shrapnel.

"Shikamaru, something this Akatsuki guy said made me wonder," Izumo muttered. "He said he almost killed me just now, but he never actually touched me." The two crouched quietly in some bushes, and watched Hidan charge after Kotetsu, who kept on laying explosive notes to put him off.

Shikamaru nodded, "And when he was talking earlier about '_preparation_', I think he was referring to the blood seal. Never mind that, just watch out for the scythe," he said thoughtfully, "I think that if you combine the blood seal with the scythe, he'll kill you…"

"How will we beat him Shikamaru?" Izumo murmured in frustration, "He's like a damned zombie…" Shikamaru and Izumo broke out of their thoughts when they heard the nearby screams of Kotetsu.

"What's he saying?" Shikamaru asked lowly, "He doesn't look injured…"

"No, _he_'s not injured," Hidan replied from behind them, his voice gritty and raspy. His hair which was previously slicked back and a pale blond was now haphazard, singed and red with his blood. He towered over their crouched figures, his scythe at the ready. "So you figured it out did you?" He asked, his eyes were bloodshot and his Akatsuki cloak destroyed by explosive damage. Blood was smeared over his burnt skin, all of it his own.

Izumo and Shikamaru looked up at Hidan, wide-eyed as he pulled back his scythe and prepared to land a hit that would likely kill them both, "I won't even bother sending your souls to Jashin-sama," he said hysterically, "I'll just rip you apart!"

"No!" Kotetsu shouted, he grabbed onto the blades of the scythe to stop him, his fingers bleeding from the strain, "Move you idiots!" he shouted at the unmoving Shikamaru and Izumo, who nodded dumbly and ran for cover hastily.

The 'zombie' kicked backwards and launched Kotetsu into a tree, his head slammed against it nastily. "Looks like you saved your friends, but there's never anyone left to save the hero!" Hidan laughed crazily, and he threw the scythe directly at Kotetsu, and the weapon pinned his body to the tree. "Got you!" he shouted victoriously. He approached Kotetsu's silent body slowly, "It won't be long now, Jashin-sama," he whispered to himself.

'Shit! He hit Kotetsu!' Yamato thought in panic from his hiding place in one of the tallest trees, 'But I can't help him yet, first I have to wait for Sai's cue…'

Hidan grunted harshly in surprise when he was hit behind by another of Sai's ink animals, this time a large behemoth of a gorilla. Hidan growled as he felt the beast's arms bind his body in a bear-hug.

Yamato immediately appeared from the overgrowth his eyes fixed on the dangerous enemy, "Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu! (Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation)" and he slowly sunk into the forest soil.

Hidan's eyes went wide with panic, and he summoned his chakra into the whip connected to his scythe. He yanked it from Kotetsu's body and swung it around to swipe off the Gorilla's head. The animal burst into liquid ink and it clung to Hidan's bloodied body. He fell to the floor, and used his remaining hand to back flip away just as Yamato reached through the ground to pull his legs underground. Yamato however, managed to get a hold of one of his legs while Hidan barely grabbed onto one of the surrounding tree branches.

"Take this!" Izumo shouted, and suddenly Hidan found himself missing his right leg.

"You bastard! That'll really hurt to put back on!" He shouted, and he pulled himself up onto the branch and swung the scythe down, hoping to tear Izumo in two. Sai slid in front of the scythe and blocked it with his short-sword, and Izumo retreated, the cut-off leg in his hands.

"I'll still take all of you!" Hidan boasted, and he raised his arm to swing the scythe once more, and found his body unable to move. "What the fuck…" he muttered, his eyes searched the forest until he saw his shadow- distorted and stretched, and connected to the boy from earlier.

"Kage Mane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique) success," Shikamaru said with a smirk. He made an action with his hand, as if to drop an object, and with a dull 'thunk' the scythe fell from Hidan's hand to the forest floor.

"Good job Shikamaru," Yamato complimented, "Everyone did wonderfully." He made a single hand seal and Hidan's body was covered immediately in a freshly sprouted bind of wood that spiralled around him. Yamato strolled towards Hidan and took the scythe from a nearby bush. "So Hidan, is it?" Yamato said conversationally, "From the looks of your technique, you rely fully on this scythe. This in itself leads me to believe there's something more to this technique than we know…"

Hidan spat blood at him, "Why don't you ask boy-wonder?" he shouted petulantly.

"Yamato, we think that the blood seal grants him the ability to kill people in an instant," Izumo explained, and he used Hidan's leg (specifically his sandal) to scratch his head.

"Don't do that with my leg you fucker!" Hidan shouted furiously. Shikamaru and Yamato ignored him, while Izumo proceeded to wave at Hidan with the arm they had cut off earlier. Hidan grumbled loudly, while Izumo poked him in the face with his own hand, tauntingly.

Shikamaru grunted and tended to Kotetsu, "The seal and the scythe are doubtlessly connected," and he proceeded to bandage Kotetsu's wounds, "It looks like he'll be okay."

"Well never mind figuring out the technique for now! We've captured this one," Yamato said happily, "I think that two of us should escort him to Konoha. I'll send a clone over to the others to tell them that our job is over, call Sakura to heal Kotetsu, and dismantle this sycophant's seal."

"Looks like we _caught_ you after all," Izumo said snidely, referring to how Hidan had said they had attacked the wrong partner. "Your little friend's not here to help you now, is he?"

"I hate you guys…" Hidan muttered angrily.


	5. Chapter 5

**Heir of the Sage**

**Disclaimer****: **Naruto is solely the possession of Kishimoto, alas I only own the computer I used to write a story based on his wonderful work.

**Summary****: **When Naruto is learning how to use his Elemental Affinity from Yamato and Kakashi, they end up with far more than they bargained for! Now Naruto is armed with the abilities of the First Hokage, how will he deal with his enemies? Mokuton!Naruto AU

* * *

**Chapter Five****: The Vanguard**

Kakashi, Asuma, Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru now stood in front of the unknown, 'Kakuzu.' "Sakura, you stay at a tactical distance unless you think you can get a shot in to take him down, Asuma, you and I will go in close distance-"

"Hold on, isn't Naruto a close-combat type?" Asuma argued, "No offence Kakashi, but I think he'd be better at this!"

"Things changed Asuma-sensei," Naruto replied, "I can fight from _any_ distance now."

Kakashi continued as if uninterrupted, "Shikamaru, you stay at long distance and try and catch him in your shadow."

"Kakashi-sensei, I think I'm going to help the others with the other Akatsuki," Shikamaru said, "Something bothers me about his technique."

Kakashi nodded confusedly but didn't let it faze him, "Looks like it's just us then, guys."

And so, Team Kakashi looked on toward Kakuzu. It went without saying that they were waiting for Kakuzu to make the first move, after all, it would show his fighting style, a potential affinity, his method of movement and even his body language would demonstrate his weaknesses and strengths.

"So I assume that you received the message I left with the Elder Monk of the Fire Temple?" Asuma asked plainly, to pass the time.

"Hm, he was eager to help us out," Kakashi confirmed, "We wouldn't have got here in time if it weren't for him."

But Kakuzu just stood still. Most of his face was hidden behind his Akatsuki cloak, but they could see his dark tanned skin and expressionless eyes. They were most unusual; a red sclera and opaque green pupils, like some form of undead creature. His forehead protector had a scratch through it to signify his abandonment of the Hidden Village of Taki (Waterfall). "You know, your friends will not be able to defeat my tag-along," Kakuzu said neutrally, "And you shall not be able to defeat me."

Sakura clenched her fist, "And why would that be?" she asked, cautiously she began to manipulate her chakra into her fist.

Kakuzu eyed her, and snorted, "Because, you insignificant maggot, we are undefeatable."

Sakura refused to let herself stir from his comment. Asuma frowned at this, "So if you're undefeatable, why did you feel the need to interrupt our fight with your 'tag-along' earlier?"

"I want to kill you," Kakuzu answered plainly, "If I kill you, I earn a lot of money from the bounty."

"Is that so?" Asuma asked, and he too began to manipulate his own chakra. He formed his trench knives with wind chakra, and waited for the right moment.

"Yes, I am going to ki-" Kakuzu begin, his eyes fixed predatorily on Asuma.

"-You done yet?" Naruto interrupted nonchalantly, he did not even look at Kakuzu, and turned his back on him, "Hey Sakura, is it just me, or does this guy look easier to kill than they guy the others chased off?"

Sakura's almost let her jaw drop at Naruto's childishness, but she stopped herself. Sakura turned her back on Kakuzu as well, and said conversationally, "Well, I think that the guy that left is probably the more interesting fight, but we should be thankful that we have the easy enemy to beat! It just means we get to finish up and go home for some _ramen_ after we arrest this guy…"

Kakashi frowned slightly at that, 'Sakura doesn't even _eat_ ramen…'

"I can't be bothered to fight," Naruto yawned, "You want to take him on your own Sakura?"

Sakura rolled her shoulders to limber herself up, "I'll knock him out, and we can be back in Konoha in time for the last showing of that 'Princess Yuki' movie."

Naruto looked concerned, "But do you think he'll be able to take you on and live through it? You _do _remember that we're supposed to be taking these Akatsuki members alive you know!"

Sakura hummed in agreement, "Good point. Hey Kakashi-sensei, since you spend most of your time in the hospital you'd want to get back onto the horse with the easy enemy, right?"

"I'm not always in the hospital!" Kakashi hissed, "Don't you think we should be taking this enemy seriously? He seems quite strong!"

Sakura and Naruto answered his question together: "No."

And throughout their minor conversation Kakuzu's nerves steadily grinded in his anger, "You brats! I'd killed hundreds of ninja before you were even born! I've killed more people than any of you!" Sakura and Naruto turned to face Kakuzu as if they had only just realised he was there.

Asuma caught onto their plans now, 'They're trying to anger him into using pure power rather than any kind of planning,' Asuma thought with a small grin, 'I'm surprised that Sakura caught on so quickly, but I suppose with a mentor like Kakashi she was always bound to be gifted at annoying her enemies.'

Suddenly their plans clicked for Kakashi and he snorted at Kakuzu's proclamation, "I have to disagree with you there! I'm renowned for killing a lot of enemies; in fact, I was infamous at the tender age of twelve!"

Asuma nodded seriously, "And you'd be surprised at just how many people tried to kill the Fire Daimyo while I was working for him."

Sakura frowned, "I haven't killed that many people compared to those two, but I killed your friend Sasori recently, and he had one-hundred puppets!"

Naruto clapped lightly, "That is indeed a great accomplishment, but I'm afraid we can't include it because they weren't actual ninja."

Sakura pouted, and Kakashi patted her on the head, "Don't worry Sakura, I'm sure that you can boost your kill count today!"

Kakuzu calmed himself patiently, in an attempt not to race forward and kill them in an instant, 'I have a Mokuton user, the Copy-ninja and a Fire Guardian in front of me,' he thought with a strained look in his eyes. 'And the pink haired girl is an unknown.'

The Akatsuki member gathered himself, "I understand your tactics, but they won't work." He could see the genuine disappointment on the blond haired boy and he fought to hide a smirk, 'Predictable.' An explosion echoed in the distance, and Kakuzu's head turned sharply to look at the forested area Hidan was in. 'An opening!' Kakashi thought, and he disappeared quickly from plain sight.

"I have a question for you, Akatsuki scum," Naruto said to divert his attention from the missing Kakashi, "How do you know that we can't kill you? It's not like you've fought us before!"

"You want to know why I think I'm invincible?" Kakuzu asked slowly. "Maybe I think I'm invincible because I once fought the Shodai Hokage, and I'm _still _alive!"

This caught Naruto's attention, "You fought the Shodai Hokage?" he asked interestedly. "I wonder how he and I compare…"

Kakuzu's eyes did not need to be expressive for them to notice his disbelief, "Surely you don't believe expect me to believe you're in the same league as the greatest pioneer of Ninjutsu that the world has ever seen?"

Naruto grinned, "I don't expect you to think so, no." Sakura and Asuma were tensed by his side; they could tell this would be the signal to start the fight. "But just so you know… I _am_ better than him," Naruto announced, and he darted forwards with unbelievable speed, leaving Sakura and Asuma behind in his dust. He launched a kick at Kakuzu's head, sending the Akatsuki member flying backwards, and his hand ran quickly through hand seals that he had forged himself, "Mokuton: Hayashi Gunjin!" (Wood Release: Battlefield Forest)

* * *

"_The Vanguard is a devastating move Naruto, that's true," Yamato said knowledgably, "In fact; I don't think I would ever be able to use Mokuton to that effect."_

_Naruto grinned at his praise, "I'm sure you could do it Yamato-taichou!"_

_"Maybe," Yamato smiled sheepishly, "But now you need to balance your technique repertoire."_

_"What do you mean?" Naruto squinted at him, "I know two Mokuton techniques, one's attacking and one's defending. Isn't that all there is?"_

_Yamato shook his head, "You need a supplementary technique, one that would provide cover and also extra ammunition if you needed it."_

_"Extra ammunition…" Naruto felt the words move over his tongue slowly, "I think I've got an idea."_

* * *

Kakuzu landed, and immediately the earth around him rumbled. 'This brat actually managed to hit me!' he thought furiously, and he sent his hand at the boy, his fist stretched past any normal limits, guided by strange dark tendrils of chakra. The fist hit Naruto in the stomach, but his technique had already started. And with those words, a miniature jungle of vibrant green trees and plants sprung to life, around Kakuzu.

"The Mokuton again, eh?" Kakuzu muttered thoughtfully and he started to walk slowly. He addressed Naruto irately, "Why would you make a forest? It's not even doing anything."

"That's where you're wrong!" Naruto shouted, and he moved his hands quickly through hand seals he had to memorise carefully. Branches swung around, and shot off of the trees like bullets in quick succession, all the while Kakuzu dodged them.

And finally the attack stopped. Kakuzu waited for the next attack to begin cautiously. One second… two seconds… three seconds… four seconds… five seconds…

Kakuzu could see the Konoha ninja circling the forest, waiting until Kakuzu eventually made his way out. 'But none of them are bothering to hunt me down…' so he started to move again.

And as soon as he lifted a foot off of the ground, the trees seemingly awoke again, and branches shot off of the trees once more. Kakuzu stopped again, and with no hand seal activated a technique, "Doton: Domu," (Earth Release: Earth Spear) he said, and the trees twitched at the sound of his voice. The technique was designed to create a powerful defence against physical attacks, and it always worked like a charm. With his technique complete, he strode from the forest fearlessly, the tree branches bounced off of his body harmlessly, and they failed to pierce his now darkened skin. 'There's the outside,' he thought calmly, 'If I have their timing down, one of them should pass this point in exactly three seconds.'

He was proved right, when Sakura moved past the opening. 'The pink-haired girl… I'll go now!' he thought, and he moved swiftly from out of the trees in his pursuit. Sakura felt his presence behind her, and could only gasp when he clubbed her head with his fist. And she burst into a puff of gray smoke. "Kage Bunshin?" Kakuzu looked around, 'Is it a trap?'

He did not see the man who descended from the top of a tree, and charged lightning chakra to his fist. "Raikiri!" (Lightning Cutter) yelled Kakashi, and he slammed his hand through Kakuzu's back with a penetrating thrust and tore straight through his heart. Kakuzu coughed, and fell to the floor; his skin reverted back to its previous colour. "I recognised that technique you used," Kakashi revealed, "It's an earth technique designed to create an ultimate defence for one's body… And my lightning technique simply outmatched it."

Kakashi turned his back on Kakuzu's body, "He's dead." Sakura and Naruto appeared beside him in an instant.

"That's a bit anticlimactic, don't you think?" Sakura said dryly. "He didn't seem powerful enough to be a member of Akatsuki."

"Raiton: Gian!" (Lightning Release: Forced Darkness) A familiar voice roared from behind them. The group turned quickly, and Kakashi turned as hastily as he could, but the attack was powerful and at a close distance-

"-Futon: Senpuken!" (Wind Release: Whirlwind Fist) Asuma countered as he landed in front of them, his hands outstretched in front of him. Gusts of wind burst from the gesture powerfully, and they quickly blew through the lightning, effectively making the technique null and void.

"… But I hit his heart," Kakashi muttered confusedly, "What's happening?"

"You bastard…" Kakuzu's raspy voice said angrily. He had gotten back to his feet and his back was to them.

Naruto frowned, 'Are we not a threat to him? He'll regret taking it easy!'

"How is he still alive then?" Asuma challenged, "Maybe you missed?"

Kakuzu shed his cloak, and revealed five masks attached to his back alongside thousands of stitch marks, "You kids will never defeat me," he murmured. The masks stretched off of his body, the stitches slowly pulling apart and each of the masks gained a dark and gory fleshy body.

'I take it back,' Sakura thought grimly, 'This guy's definitely Akatsuki level,' her face turned slightly green as she watched Kakuzu's back sew itself up with strange black vines that emerged from his body.

One of the masks fell to the floor, the fleshy monster beneath it had collapsed like a popped balloon, "Wait a second, that must've been what I destroyed," Kakashi said uncertainly. A mask with a dark blue coloured pattern settled itself onto Kakuzu's back again and seemed to watch the group carefully.

Kakuzu laughed throatily, "I was sent to assassinate the Shodai Hokage, and I failed. But I escaped with my life." He turned to face them; his mouth was open to display the same strange black tentacles that sowed his body back together before. "The village leaders locked me away and planned to execute me. I escaped from my confines, and ripped the hearts out of the Elders' still living bodies." Kakuzu went silent, but the strange smile on his face put everyone on their toes. He noticed this and chuckled darkly, "And you just destroyed the last of the Elder's hearts that I had…"

Naruto thumped Kakashi's shoulder victoriously, "I knew you managed to hit his heart!"

Kakashi laughed shortly, "I don't think now's the time for a pat on the back Naruto."

"Naruto… You are the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, then?" Kakuzu noticed with a smirk, "To think that _you_ would seek us out."

"I will kill you before you kill any more people," Naruto promised, "And from the looks of you it shouldn't be too hard."

Asuma grunted, "He called those masks his 'hearts,' so to kill him we'll have to kill each of those monsters."

Kakuzu let out a rusty laugh, "You Konoha ninja are really something you know? No other ninja have ever discovered my secrets before. A set of explosions went off in the background in quick succession, and Kakuzu set his eyes on Kakashi. "Kakashi Hatake, I will take your heart to replace the one I lost."

Two of the masked creatures joined together now, and the one with light blue patterns opened its mouth, "Futon: Atsugai!" (Wind Release: Pressure Damage). The red patterned mask opened its mouth shortly after, "Katon: Zukokku!" (Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work), and the techniques combined explosively with a bomb of liquid fire, that blasted the area in an enormous attack.

Naruto, Asuma and Sakura quickly jumped to the side, while Kakashi stood his ground, "Suiton: Suijinheki!" (Water Release: Water Position Wall) water streamed from Kakashi's mouth and shot towards the fire, which had already overtaken Naruto's miniature forest, and the techniques slammed together with a hiss, until Kakashi wavered, 'I can't cancel out a fire technique when it's powered by a wind one too!' he thought as he jumped away. Kakuzu shot tendrils straight from his wrists which grabbed Kakashi's back and slammed him face first into the floor.

"Your heart is mine now, Kakashi Hatake," Kakuzu muttered, and he leaned over Kakashi's body, and the black vines pushed into Kakashi's back.

Kakashi winced with pain, and he could hear Sakura's panicked voice, "Kakashi-sensei!"

And then he could feel the weight of Kakuzu leave his body. Kakashi rolled over, only to see the dark-blue mask attached to Kakuzu's body, dead, cut clean in half. "Thanks Asuma," Kakashi muttered, and Sakura went immediately to heal his back. He didn't stop her.

Naruto hadn't moved from his spot, and he stared straight on at the remaining three hearts. Lightning. Fire. Wind. The fire mask rushed to Kakuzu's body, and nobody stopped it from synching into his back, in place of the mask that had not actually been used. 'Lightning and wind counter each other,' Naruto thought as he watched Kakuzu get back to his feet, 'So those two will only attack on their own or alongside Kakuzu. But he wouldn't have chosen it to go this way, so the mask that replaces the dead heart _must_ be the closest to it.'

Sakura managed to heal the penetrations to Kakashi's back within moments, and Kakashi got to his feet numbly. 'I need to be more careful,' he thought. 'He will target Sakura now so she won't be able to heal any more.'

Naruto and Asuma ran together to distract the lightning and wind masks, while Kakashi gathered himself, and Sakura bandaged him quickly. Kakashi's prediction proved true; as soon as Sakura had bandaged Kakashi, Kakuzu got to his senses, and immediately launched himself at Sakura and Kakashi, "Katon: Zukkoku!" He shouted at point-blank range. Sakura pushed Kakashi out of the way and used a quick Kawirimi (Replacement) technique, and replaced herself with a charred log from the nearby forest, only to appear directly behind Kakuzu.

Kakuzu's eyes widened when he realised all he had managed to do was reduce a log to ashes, and Sakura pulled back her arm and delivered a vicious haymaker directly into his heart alongside a hoarse battle cry. "Nice job Sakura!" Kakashi congratulated, and she flashed him a thumbs-up in victory.

The remaining two masks screeched, and launched themselves past Naruto and Asuma who had been busy dodging their elemental techniques with acrobatic feats and clones, and the hearts latched onto Kakuzu's back firmly. "I'm glad that you're all here," Kakuzu grated out with what seemed to be great pain, "Because I have space in my body for three hearts now, and a Jinchuriki (Human Sacrifice) to bring home with me!"

Kakashi rushed to Naruto's side protectively, while Sakura headed straight towards Asuma to start healing a large cut that had formed on his chest. Naruto watched Sakura close Asuma's wound with her green healing chakra, and Naruto shook his head grimly. "You know what?" Naruto shouted, "I've had enough of this! I'm gonna end you once and for all!"

"Do your best, you _child_," Kakuzu answered back scathingly, "The day you beat me is the day that the world sets alight with flames!"

"Then let it burn," Naruto replied determinedly, "Mokuton: Senkenbutai!" (Wood Release: The Vanguard)

Naruto focused his chakra, and he activated the technique with a single Ram seal. Wooden ultra-sharp stakes burst from the ground from starting from in front Naruto's feet, each of them pointing upwards towards the sky. The stakes burst out of the ground covering all of the earth before him in an instant, like a tidal wave of pain.

Kakuzu had a single moment to prepare against the technique which charged towards him, and he barely managed a single hand seal before his body was penetrated by numerous wooden-tendrils. Kakuzu's hearts twisted and pulled in an effort to get as far away from the attack as possible, and Kakuzu winced and he started to slide his body to off of them.

Naruto made another hand seal, and Kakuzu's eyes widened suddenly, 'Shit, the technique's not over!' and each of the wooden swords suddenly moved and stirred like live animals. They writhed around Kakuzu and wrapped around his body, each of them forming them into sharp whips with pointed ends that slide through his body to keep him in place.

Kakuzu roared, and each of his masks set off their techniques, resulting in an enormous explosion. He darted backwards, his cloak in tatters, and he froze when he felt his wind heart get punctured from behind. He turned his head and saw an immensely large twisted lance of wood that had sprouted from the earth behind him. Kakuzu froze, the mask had barely been so touched yet, and the wooden spear had yet to break it. He looked towards Naruto, who was doubled over and panting in exhaustion.

"What a devastating technique," Kakuzu muttered, "Most techniques like that are hard to manipulate and form, but this boy was able to create hundreds of them from scratch. If he were fighting any other person, they would have been dead at least one hundred times over…"

"… Shit," Naruto gasped, his hand braced his side painfully. "Mokuton sure takes a lot out of you!"

"You did well kid," Kakuzu praised, and he walked through the wooden stakes carefully to reach him. "You would've had a great Bingo Book entry one day… but I'm afraid I have to bring you back to Pain-sama and kill you all."

'Pain-sama?' Asuma wondered, 'Could he be the leader of Akatsuki?'

"Raiton: Gian!" (Lightning Release: Forced Darkness) Kakuzu said imperiously, and a large bolt of lightning burst from the yellow patterned mask on his shoulder, the bolt of lightning separated and they darted separately towards Naruto and Kakashi.

Kakashi pushed Naruto backwards and out of harm's way, and growled out a "Raikiri!" and quickly countered Kakuzu, his own lightning technique burst onto both of his outstretched hands. The lightning charges hit both of his hands, and charged through his arms shocking them violently.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted anxiously, and he started to move forwards to help him. Kakashi waved away the lightning, and dropped to one knee, and Naruto moved in front of him. "I have plenty of time to get a place in the Bingo Books!" Naruto informed Kakuzu (all the while clutching his side) and he used his free hand to form a half a serpent seal, "Mokuton: Toge Sogekihei!" (Wood Release: Splinter Sniper)

Kakuzu screamed in agony, as each of the wooden blades from the Vanguard technique burst in synchrony and shot towards him. The lance from earlier blasted forwards and stabbed straight through the wind heart, while the lightning heart screeched in pain, full of large chunks of wooden shrapnel.

Kakuzu slid to the floor, each of his hearts finally dead. The monstrous black threads that bound his body together slowly slopped out of his back, and the lance pushed him into the floor face first due to its enormous size.

Naruto sunk to his knees with a grin and a wince, "I knew I'd get you with that," he claimed, and with Asuma fully healed Sakura rushed to his side and started to fuss over him immediately.

"Naruto are you hurt? How are your chakra levels? Ah! You're bleeding!"

Kakuzu choked on the tendrils in his mouth, and coughed heavily. "How did one so young manage to kill me?" he heaved the question.

Kakashi walked to his side with a sigh, "It's the duty of the next generation to surpass us you know," he informed him gently. "And I'm afraid to say, old-timer, that your time is up. You're not needed these days."

Kakuzu spluttered, and Kakashi charged his arm with lightning chakra, "Kakashi-sempai!" the Yamato clone called as he entered the scene. "We're meant to capture the Akatsuki members!"

"Yamato… This man would rip out the hearts of the people of Konoha and break free," Kakashi replied harshly, "This is for the best." The group watched him for a moment, and Kakashi focused on the technique once more, "Raikiri!" He thrust his hand entirely through the man's head, and immediately destroyed all chances of Kakuzu getting up once more.

"I'm glad that's over," Asuma said blandly, "The team would probably be dead, so thanks for coming, everyone!"

The Moku Bunshin (Wood Clone) stood firmly at attention and inclined his head at Asuma in response, "I am a clone sent by Yamato," he informed them diligently as if the event of a man's death had not just happened, "We have restrained the Akatsuki member, Kotetsu needs healing, and I am required to destroy the seal that the Akatsuki member made earlier."

"Sakura, go help Kotetsu instead," Naruto waved her off. "I'm just out of chakra."

Sakura glared at him, "Don't talk to me like I'm a mother hen! Be glad I want to heal you at all!" Everyone could tell there was no venom in her voice, and Naruto simply smiled sheepishly in response. Sakura's gaze softened, "But I suppose Kotetsu probably needs my help more than you do, knuckle-head!"

Asuma chuckled, and Kakashi smiled at the exchange, "Yamato clone, we'll take care of the seal. You guide Sakura there," Kakashi said brightly, if tiredly.

"**…** _So_..." Naruto droned casually, "Who wants to bring back Kakuzu's body?"

"You killed him, you carry him," Asuma informed him seriously.

Naruto groaned loudly, "Can't you do it? I did save your life after all!"

* * *

The Akatsuki, an organisation comprised of Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigake, Deidara, Zetsu, Tobi, and two others stood gathered in darkness each enveloped in an ethereal light.

"Well then Pain-sama, where are the 'Zombie Brothers?'" Kisame asked snidely, "They aren't answering your calls?" Kisame smiled widely, exhibiting his large shark-like teeth.

There was a short silence. "They're dead," the man known as Pain said, "Killed, again by Konoha." The other Akatsuki member, a woman stood by his side silently, her neutral facial expression unchanged.

"I told 'em to watch out," Deidara replied, "I bet it was that Kakashi and the Jinchuriki too, yeah?"

Pain nodded. "We are going to extract the Sanbi (Three tails) now," he informed them, "And after that we will extract the Nibi (Two tails). In total we will be doing this for eight days."

"Eight days!" Deidara exclaimed, "Why so long, yeah?"

"You can thank Kakuzu and Hidan for that," Pain responded robotically, "Their departure will make us take longer to drain them."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hidan's not really dead; it's just that Pain was misinformed! Zetsu only saw Kakuzu's body being taken away; he just assumed that they killed Hidan.


	6. Chapter 6

**Heir of the Sage**

**Disclaimer****: **Naruto is solely the possession of Kishimoto, alas I only own the computer I used to write a story based on his wonderful work.

**Summary****: **When Naruto is learning how to use his Elemental Affinity from Yamato and Kakashi, they end up with far more than he bargained for! Mokuton!Naruto AU

**Author's Notes****: **Sorry that this is such a short chapter (compared to the last two especially), but it's really just a filler/explanation thing. If anyone sees any problems with my reasoning for the Mokuton… too bad. It's AU for a reason, and I wanted the theory side out of the way.

By the way, at the end of this chapter, I've put a list of Naruto's Mokuton techniques for people who'd like to see the proper statistics!

* * *

**Chapter Six****: His Analysis**

Hidan's remaining arm and leg had been cut off to avoid any more attempts to escape, and they had been handed to a disgruntled Sakura- "You are the least tired person here," Kakashi had told her with a smile.

And so, Sakura had decided to be patient.

It had been a long journey back to Konoha, and Naruto had been saved from having to carry Kakuzu's body as Ino, Chouji and their team had shown up just in time. They had met up with Sakura, Yamato, Sai, Shikamaru, Kotetsu and Izumo on the way back, and Ino found it highly amusing to see Sakura juggling the arms and legs of Hidan in her hands, _"Hey Sakura, is the only way you can get a man by cutting him up first? I never knew you were that desperate!"_Sakura had glared at her long and hard, but she had not bothered to answer back, her mind focused instead on her teammate, Naruto Uzumaki. 'How did he learn how to use the Mokuton?' she thought worriedly, 'The council will be difficult…' And suddenly the familiar gates of Konoha were back in their sights; with numerous guards at the ready in case of an Akatsuki attack.

"Hey blonde girl, I'd never get with this pink haired bitch anyway!" Hidan's head cackled spitefully, "I like my girls to be a bit more top heavy, and she just don't cut it!"

Ino cackled with him, "You tell her, Akatsuki guy!"

Sakura's patience was running out. She ground her teeth with frustration, and continued to ignore them.

Naruto and Kakashi shared a look of fear, and they edged away from Sakura, who looked about ready to explode. The large group of ninja took immediately to the rooftops of Konoha, not wanting the civilians to be faced with the sight of a monstrous dead body, and a cut up Akatsuki member who had started to shout expletives at the top of his voice.

"Let me leave you Konoha bastards!" Hidan shouted at the top of his voice, continually. Eventually, Sakura simply tied her headband around his mouth with a sigh, now leaving only a muffled, "Retmrevkonbasrds!"

"I can't wait till Ibiki tortures this guy…" an incensed Sakura muttered as they came close to the Hokage tower, and numerous others in the group grumbled their agreement, including a sour looking Kotetsu.

Tsunade's head poked out the window upon their arrival, "ANBU, take the dead one to the 'lab', with the body parts of the zombie," Tsunade said with a look of disapproval, "And take the freak of nature's speaking parts to Ibiki. Tell him to get every bit of information out of this guy," Within a moment, the ANBU had descended on the group and released them of their duties.

Sakura sniggered at Hidan's fate and delicately removed her headband from his mouth, and the Akatsuki member growled at her. The ANBU moved to take the head from her arms, and Hidan bit at his reaching hand. The ANBU slapped at his cheek in warning, and stuffed an apple into the missing-ninja's biting mouth, "Mihrtgs!" The ANBU disappeared in an instant.

Tsunade continued as if nothing had happened and fixed a look at the remaining people at the base of the tower, "Niju Shotai members, make sure you return tomorrow at nine sharp to debrief. Kakashi, Sai, Yamato, Sakura and Naruto, you all need to come to the hospital with me for the medical examination."

"What examination?" Naruto asked confusedly, "I thought Kakuzu and Hidan's bits went to the secret lab place."

"She means _your_ examination Naruto," Sakura muttered, "We need to find out why you have Mokuton!"

* * *

Naruto scowled impatiently, and waited for the test results. It had taken them three hours to draw blood, perform all manners of tests, and reverse-engineer his affinity, and now _apparently_ Tsunade was coming back with the answers.

Kakashi seated himself in the visitor's chair to read within moments, Sai had automatically positioned himself in front of the window to draw the landscape, and Yamato stood at the door guardedly.

The door slid open suddenly, and immediately popped the bubble of boredom, "I figured it out," Tsunade said with a frown. Sakura appeared at her side, and nodded diligently.

"Where's Shizune?" Naruto asked conversationally, "She normally works at the hospital at this time…"

"Shizune's working on the Akatsuki bodies," Tsunade dismissed, "Now to the point. The Mokuton isn't exactly a bloodline trait that ran through the Senju, despite what most people think. I used to think that it was more likely a unique ability that relies on having the required affinities- so pure luck!"

Naruto grinned, "I am quite lucky."

"But luck wouldn't cover it completely," Tsunade smiled back at him at his mention of luck, "I'm related to the Shodai, and I have never had access to the Mokuton, so having the right affinities for Mokuton _and _the familial connection _seems_ to work. It seems likely that it would be similar to a recessive gene that would be passed through your parent's chakra."

"So my parents had the right affinities?" Naruto asked blankly, "But I thought you had to be related to the Shodai."

Tsunade nodded, "And that's where my problems started."

"… Problems?" Kakashi prompted carefully.

"Well, I suppose I had better come out and say it," Tsunade bit her lip, "Your father was Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage. Your mother was Kushina Uzumaki, the daughter of the leader of the former Hidden Village amongst the Whirlpools- also known as Uzu no Kuni (Whirlpool Country)."

Naruto said nothing, and gripped his hospital robe.

Sai looked up from his drawing, "Huh? Looks like talent skipped a generation, huh dickless?"

"Sai, not now," Sakura warned sharply, "This is important." Her eyes never left Naruto.

Sai nodded obediently and continued to draw.

"Shall I continue?" Tsunade asked considerately, "I can come back later once you have absorbed the information."

"No," Naruto replied quietly, "I'd like to hear it all now."

"I understand," Tsunade said, "From analysis of Minato's blood, I could see that he was distantly related to the Senju clan, his ancestors most likely branched straight off of the Senju as soon as they formed."

Kakashi put away his book, "And why did Minato never find out?"

The Hokage grimaced, "The medical facilities of Konoha were more primitive, and no where near as advanced as they are now. In fact, since I became Hokage, medicine has made numerous strides in advancement." She looked to Kakashi and noticed his satisfaction, "Minato never developed any abilities resembling the Mokuton as he had no form of connection to it whatsoever. His affinities were likely formed from a mixture of his own parents, refugees from Kumo."

"That makes sense," Naruto remarked, his voice an odd calm. "So I can thank my mother for the Mokuton?"

Tsunade nodded, "I believe so. Kushina was capable of using both Suiton and Futon, as many of the residents of Uzu (Whirlpool) were capable of."

"Hold on," Yamato said confusedly, "The Yondaime was never known to use Doton, so how would Naruto have the affinities that were needed?"

Kakashi tutted, "Ah, Yamato, Doton _was_ actually used by the Yondaime, but it was not his primary element."

Tsunade's eyes widened for a moment, "Well! That's the one piece of the puzzle we needed."

"So I got it from my parents?" Naruto asked blandly, "That was a long explanation to tell me something so simple!"

Tsunade smiled grimly, "There's more to it than that. Do you remember the last time you had a direct encounter with the Kyuubi, Naruto?"

"It was when we met Sasuke, and he stopped me from using the Kyuubi's chakra," Naruto replied bitterly.

The Hokage smirked, "Well! The so called "Uchiha Genius" made a massive mistake!"

"… How?" Sai butted in, his interest in the topic peaked, "Dickless's boyfriend did something wrong?" Naruto shot Sai a filthy look, and the pale boy looked affronted, "Hey, it was Tsunade-sama that said loverboy messed up, not me!"

"Sasuke-kun did something wrong to your chakra!" Sakura continued, excitedly. "And we found out because of a story that Jiraiya-sama told me when I asked him about the Sharingan- he said that originally, the Uchiha and the village founder, the Shodai had the same ancestors, and that they were distantly related."

"My head hurts," Naruto complained, "Why does this matter?"

"Naruto, Sasuke pushed Kyuubi's chakra too far! Did you notice that since then, you've had much less trouble with his demonic chakra?" Tsunade asked him knowingly, "It's because the chakra that Sasuke flushed into your system with his eyes drew out the suppression powers of the Mokuton- the ability to control and manipulate the tailed beasts, and with that, and your parent's affinities, it awoke the sleeping power to manipulate wood and trees."

The room was silent for a moment, and Yamato forced himself to restrain his frustration, 'All that time I was using my chakra to stop the Kyuubi's influence, and I didn't even need to?'

"This has been a long day," Naruto noted. "But I guess I'll have to find him and drag him home, so I can thank him for giving me such a kick-ass power!"

* * *

**Mokuton Technique Data**

"**Mokuton: Senkenbutai!"** – Wood Release: The Vanguard.

**Description:** Lots of sharp yet malleable wooden stakes shoot from the ground to pierce a person's vital organs. This technique draws greatly on the user's chakra, as each strand of wood must be controlled directly.

**Classification: **Ninjutsu.**  
Rank: **A-rank.**  
Class: **Offensive.**  
Range: **Any distance.  
**User(s): **Naruto Uzumaki

"**Mokuton: Toge Sogekihei!" – **Wood Release: Splinter Sniper.

**Description:** If Vanguard fails, the wooden stakes explode in all directions, however as soon as they have uprooted from the ground for more than five seconds, they would drop to the floor and become completely useless.

**Classification: **Ninjutsu.**  
Rank: **Unranked.**  
Class: **Supplementary.**  
Range:** Short distance.  
**User(s): **Naruto Uzumaki.

"**Mokuton: Mokujouheki!" -** Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall.

**Description: **A Vertically standing dome shape emerges from ground with user inside to protect from Ninjutsu. Has been used to protect others from long distance weapon techniques, rather than the user himself.

**Classification: **Ninjutsu.**  
Rank: **C-rank.**  
Class: **Defensive.**  
Range: **Short to mid-ranged.  
**User(s): **Yamato, Naruto Uzumaki.

"**Mokuton: Hayashi Gunjin!"** - Wood Release: Battlefield Forest.

**Description:** A 'living' forest is built around the opponent, and it attacks enemies who show signs of movement. The forest does not really detect movement, however the user of the technique can feel the imprint of their enemy's chakra against the Mokuton, and would be able to attack them even without seeing them. The drawback of such an inventive technique is that it requires the user's full (and undivided) concentration to keep the forest 'alive.'

**Classification: **Ninjutsu.**  
Rank: **Unranked.**  
Class: **Supplementary.**  
Range:** Long distance.  
**User(s): **Naruto Uzumaki.


	7. Chapter 7

**Heir of the Sage**

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is solely the possession of Kishimoto, alas I only own the computer I used to write a story based on his wonderful work.

**Summary****: **When Naruto is learning how to use his Elemental Affinity from Yamato and Kakashi, they end up with far more than they bargained for! Now Naruto is armed with the abilities of the First Hokage, how will he deal with his enemies? Mokuton!Naruto AU

**Author's Notes****: **Initially I had hoped to get in the main point of the mission within this chapter, but I've gone for too long without updating the fic, and the chapter's long enough, so I hope this'll do!

* * *

**Chapter Seven****: Their Progess**

The days after Naruto discovered his lineage rolled by. Each of the Niju Shotai members had been recalled to Konoha with no casualties, and the mission was considered a fantastic success. Naruto had left his apartment sparingly, only visiting Tsunade to see if they had any new information on the Akatsuki- he was always given the same answer: Hidan had yet to give up any information. Tsunade had told him, "He's probably waiting for the Akatsuki to rescue him. Fat chance!"

Naruto was seated in his apartment on a dry, hot Fire country day. 'Did my father want me to suffer when he sealed the Kyuubi?' Naruto considered grimly, 'Or did he just not think about me at all?' He was broken out of his thoughts by a loud knocking at the door. He ignored it, continued to brood and then the knocking stopped. Naruto heaved a sigh of relief- just as the knocking started up again.

"Alright, I'm coming!" he called, and pulled himself off of his sofa.

"Hurry up Naruto!" Sakura scolded through the closed door, "I know you're there! We're waiting for you, you know?"

Naruto opened the door, only to be greeted by his team. "G'morning," Naruto saluted at them tiredly, "What's up?"

"We wanted to know whether you would join us for some ramen, Naruto," Sakura replied casually, "But if you don't want to come…"

"What are we waiting for?" Naruto cheered (his vitality restored with the prospect of food) and he ran through his door and down the hallway, "Let's get some lunch!" Sai smiled at his retreating form, and Kakashi nodded knowingly.

Sakura on the other hand huffed, "Typical," and closed the door that Naruto had left open in his haste.

The walk (or sprint in Naruto's case) was a short one, and they had quickly been seated at the stand and fed until they were each fit to burst.

"That was good!" Naruto groaned, "I haven't had Ichiraku ramen in ages!" The others nodded in agreement and got to their feet. Naruto bounced out of the shop ahead of them, invigorated after a feast of ramen, and stopped when he saw a familiar sight, "Hey Konohamaru!"

Konohamaru did not answer, and instead used Naruto's signature technique, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Naruto hummed in approval, "So you've finally got the Kage Bunshin down, eh?"

This peaked Sakura's interest, "Huh? What's going on?" she brushed past the short curtains of the shop with Kakashi and Sai, "He taught Konohamaru the Kage Bunshin?" she said with surprise, she shared a look with Kakashi who showed an equal amount of shock.

"Right then! Let's see how much you've improved!" Naruto challenged, "Do your worst, Konohamaru!"

"Right Naruto-niichan!" Konohamaru responded determinedly, "Oiroke: Onna No Ko Doushi no Jutsu!" (Sexy Technique: Girl on Girl.) A minor explosion of smoke appeared around Konohamaru and his clone, and when it cleared two _very _busty, very _naked_ women appeared, each with their hands caressing sensitive areas of the other.

Kakashi seemed to be delighted for a moment, and he calmed himself quickly. 'I wonder if Konohamaru's realised that Sakura will kill him yet…' he thought exasperatedly.

Sai looked on impassively.

Sakura was furious, and it showed from her angry clenched fists and terrifying eyes.

Naruto, on the other hand, frowned. "You know Konohamaru, I was gonna congratulate you on this pervy technique, but now I have to wonder…"

"Niichan?" (Big Brother) Konohamaru said with concern.

"… I have to wonder whether my mother or father would be happy seeing me using a technique like that," Naruto replied, clearly upset, "They died you know? But since they died for me, as a fellow ninja, I should use ninjutsu to help protect Konoha, not distract dirty closet pervs!"

Sakura felt a strange feeling, 'Maybe it's guilt? Maybe I feel guilt because Naruto's upset and I shouldn't be here listening to him tell us this,' she considered, 'But I've seen him upset before, so I don't understand why I feel this way…'

Naruto felt his eyes moisten, and he realised he had not felt the familiar feeling of sadness and regret that like this since his last failed attempt to retrieve Sasuke, "Surely I should be doing my best to make sure my parents didn't die in vain."

Sakura pushed her confusion away for the moment, and did what she thought was best: she simply moved forwards and hugged Naruto from behind, 'I don't know what this feeling is,' Sakura decided, 'But I don't want to feel it again.'

Konohamaru dispelled the technique worriedly, "Are you alright Naruto-niichan?"

"He'll be fine Konohamaru," Kakashi replied quickly, "Now why don't you go with Sai here and find Ebisu? I'm sure he's worried about where you are." Konohamaru nodded reluctantly, Sai gave Naruto a firm pat on the shoulder, and the two left quickly.

"It'll be okay, Naruto," Kakashi promised kindly, "Sakura, you'd better take him home."

"No, it's fine Kakashi-sensei," Naruto muttered his tone subdued, "Thanks for thinking of me, but I'll head back on my own."

Sakura wanted to say something, anything. 'Seeing Naruto like this is wrong,' she thought with a scowl as he walked away from them. 'This is all wrong! We just beat those Akatsuki, and we should be happy!'

Kakashi sighed, "I'll see you later Sakura," he walked away from her as well, and he headed up the other side of the street. He pulled his book from his pouch, and started to continue reading his book.

"Where are you going Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura called after him glumly.

Kakashi turned around to face her, and looked up from his copy of 'Make-out Paradise!', "I'm going to the Memorial Stone."

Sakura looked down the street at Naruto's sullen form as he retreated to his home. "Can I come with you?" she asked.

Kakashi nodded at her perceptively, "Yeah."

* * *

Naruto shuffled slowly through the bustling streets of Konoha on his way home. 'All of the villagers are so happy,' he thought bitterly, 'They all have family, or someone who loved them when they needed them.'

"Naruto!"

Naruto turned to face the person who addressed him, and rubbed at his eyes roughly, 'Only wusses cry when they're sad.' He looked at them hazily, and noted it was Team Asuma at the barbecue restaurant. "Hey," he greeted uncertainly.

"You want to join us?" Ino asked lightly, "You did save Asuma-sensei's bacon after all!"

Asuma tutted at her indignantly, "I would've survived if they weren't there, hopefully. I'm sure I could've saved my bacon all on my own."

Shikamaru sighed, and Chouji simply looked up from his plate (packed with food), "Where's the bacon?"

Ino sent Chouji a filthy look, "Come on Chouji can't you stop thinking about food for once?"

Chouji rubbed at his enormous stomach, which made loud hungry noises, "Probably not."

Shikamaru snorted, "You gonna join us Naruto?"

"… Alright," Naruto replied with a sigh, "I guess I can stop by for a minute or two."

* * *

A few days passed. Naruto was gradually getting into the swing of things again, and he felt like he could understand why his father sealed the Kyuubi inside him, 'It's not like he could seal it inside anyone else's kid.' But with this issue settled, there was an entirely new one, 'But if he died in the fight with the Kyuubi, then how did my mother die?'

The next time he saw Tsunade, he would definitely have to ask her. Yamato had stopped by shortly after Naruto had returned home from his meeting with Team Ten, and they had both gone straight to the training grounds to test out more of his affinity, after all, Yamato had him hooked with a simple sentence: 'You might be able to use the Mokuton, but don't you want to try out some Suiton and Doton as well?' Naruto had nodded the affirmative quickly, and the two had started to train once more.

Yamato had sat himself down on a bench he had formed with his own Mokuton, and watched as Naruto attempted to complete a technique that had been burned into his memory, the Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique) which he remembered avidly as Kakashi had used it to knock out Zabuza.

"Are you sure there are this many hand seals in it?" Naruto asked impatiently as he moved his fingers as nimbly as possible through the seals.

"Do you doubt my skill with this technique?" Yamato asked him dryly.

"A little," Naruto admitted, "Can't I try and shorten it down?"

Yamato thought for a moment, "Potentially. The Daibakufu is a powerhouse A-ranked Suiton technique that is capable of knocking down a house with ease. You need to use each of the hand seals to regulate your chakra to make it as effective as possible."

"But, but," Naruto protested, "There has to be another way?"

"In theory," Yamato said patiently, "Ninja have managed to shorten their hand seal sequences due to their chakra automatically channelling the way they want it to. This is a similar thing to muscle memory, and you have to have used the technique hundreds of times…"

Naruto smiled innocently, "I think I can do that." His hands moved into the Kage Bunshin sign with what he hoped was subtlety.

Yamato sighed, "I knew I should have brought an umbrella."

Naruto however had other thoughts on his mind, 'I hope I do you proud mother,' he thought with a grin, 'I inherited my talent with water from you after all!'

* * *

Sakura found herself in front of the Memorial Stone, her eyes desperately in search of a name. Her eyes traced every letter and word, and sometimes popped in surprise- only for her excitement to deflate when she realised she had read the name wrong _again_.

"You're here again, Sakura?" Kakashi asked her, as he moved to stand beside her in the rain. Sakura gave him a 'feminine' grunt, which he assumed was a yes. "You should go home and have some soup or something, if you aren't careful you'll get a cold," Kakashi chided her.

Sakura looked askance with a scowl, "Thanks for the tip, _mother_," she scathed. She raked her sopping wet hair off of her forehead, and noticed that her teacher did not have his book out. 'I'm surprised he's worried about rain damaging the book, I would've thought he'd have laminated it by now!' she thought with a snigger.

Kakashi smiled sheepishly at her, "What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't show concern for my students?"

His student of almost-three-years refrained from snapping back a resentful comment along the lines of, 'It took you three years to figure that out?' But instead she resigned herself to politeness, "I suppose you would be a pretty bad teacher." His smile faded a bit at her tone, and Sakura sweat dropped, 'I suppose I couldn't sound as polite as I'd like!'

Her teacher nodded at her and chose to ignore her tone of voice, and instead asked her, "Who are you looking for on the Stone?"

"Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki," Sakura replied absent-mindedly, and she continued to read through the enormous list, "Tsunade-shishou didn't elaborate on her, and I wanted to find Naruto's mother so that he could have some peace of mind."

Kakashi sighed, "I knew Kushina well enough to know that she wouldn't be on the Memorial Stone." Even though Sakura could not see his face, she could hear the sadness in his voice, and picture how his mask would crumple when he frowned.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked him confusedly, momentarily giving up on her self-assigned mission, "Why wouldn't she be on the Stone?" Kakashi bowed his head at the stone as a sign of respect, and he gestured for Sakura to follow him away from it. And she did, with immense curiosity.

Thunder roared around them, and lightning struck nearby on the grassy fields, though Kakashi ignored the volatile weather, "Naruto is _exactly _like Kushina," he said with a hint of pride, "She was powerful like a force of nature, and had enormous chakra reserves."

His pupil frowned at that, 'I hope that's not a euphemism.'

"And I find it highly doubtful," Kakashi continued confidently, "That Kushina Uzumaki died in battle (no matter how much she said she would like to), rather, I'm sure she died while giving birth to Naruto."

Sakura felt a hint of fury, 'I was looking on the stone all this time… _in the rain… _for no reason?'

Kakashi smiled at her as if he knew what she were thinking, "But don't spread that around. It's not proved, but a theory of mine."

The pair continued to walk, in silence.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said quietly, "Are you going to tell Naruto that?"

He shook his head in reply, "Tsunade-sama chose not to say anything, so we should respect what she wants. She might be waiting for Jiraiya-sama, so that he can explain the facts to him and give him the information he needs."

They parted ways when they reached the familiar urbanised areas of Konoha, and Sakura could only feel uncertain about the mysterious absence of Kushina Uzumaki. But still, this was clearly a sign that she would not be on the Memorial Stone, 'Mission complete,' she thought sullenly.

Sakura had ventured home through the disastrous weather, and had slept like a log. Only now, she had nothing to tell him.

So instead she decided to get up early, and visit him, if only to take his attention away from his family. Sakura knocked on Naruto's door for around ten minutes before she finally gave up, and left his building in a huff. 'Him not being home means he's either at Ichiraku's, or he's training. These days it's harder to guess.' And it was. In light of finding out his legacy, Naruto had been in (almost) isolated training for the past week.

Unlike Naruto though, Sakura did not have the luxury of training time. The hospital had been busier than ever, and when Sakura ended a shift her chakra was often very nearly depleted. Shizune had given her the week off, and so Sakura had started to find and catch up with their classmates from the Academy. Team Ten had been away for the last week on a short term mission, and had been in high demand ever since their success with the Akatsuki, 'Not that Ino had been involved,' Sakura thought sourly.

Not only that, but Team Eight had been absent from the village as well, apparently on the mission with Team Ten, 'Must be important to have a tracking _and_ information gathering team,' Sakura considered, 'I want to have a guess and say they have found a lead on Sasuke-kun or the Akatsuki, but there's not enough information to go by.' The closest other team had been Team Gai, but they too were away from the village on an extended combat mission- apparently Orochimaru's hoard of cure-seal mutants had been on a rampage in a small town on the borders of Rice and Fire Country.

Sakura reached Ichiraku, and was greeted with the sight of several empty stools. She heaved a tremendously tired sigh and turned around, to head straight to the training grounds.

"Is that you Sakura?" Ayame the Ichiraku's chef called out to her, "I think Naruto'll be by soon if you want to wait for him."

"Is that so?" Sakura headed back, and sat down.

"You are looking for him aren't you?" Ayame asked carefully, "I mean dad and I haven't seen your Team come by together this week."

Sakura nodded in response, "Yeah. I think Naruto's trying to work off stress by doing some enormous training thing…" and now all Sakura could think was, 'If he's not careful he'll leave me behind again.'

"That doesn't sound too healthy," Ayame frowned, "If he's stressed he should take the week off."

"Naruto worries about everything," Sakura said exasperatedly, "He's training so hard-"

"Morning Ayame-chan!" Naruto called, and he ducked into the booth, "Ah! Sakura-chan!" he could not hide his surprise, "Are you starting to realise how great ramen is?"

Sakura snorted, "That's exactly why I'm here Naruto," she said sarcastically.

At that Ayame giggled, "Yep, Sakura's as addicted to ramen as you, and she's spent every waking moment eating every scrap of our product."

Naruto was horrified, "… There's still some ramen left right?"

Ayame kept a straight face, "There's none out here," Naruto's face went white at that; "I'll go and check storage, there should be _some_ there," Ayame continued and she left the shop from the back exit, "Keep an eye on the shop for me, I'll be back in a minute."

Sakura grinned conspiratorially at that, and turned her focus to talking to her team mate, "So where've you been this week?

Her team mate could not help but look after Ayame worryingly, but he replied regardless of it, "I've been training a lot with Yamato-taichou."

"The Mokuton again?" Sakura asked interestedly, "How's it been?"

Naruto's attention now seemed to twist away from the idea of food, "Well, not good." Sakura did not feel the need to reply, and waited for him to continue. "Do you remember the clone-training technique?"

Sakura nodded her affirmation.

"Well, Yamato-sensei banned it," Naruto admitted unhappily, "I can do so much training in one day with it, but he thinks that it might affect my brain even _with_ the Kyuubi's regeneration."

"So…?" Sakura was stumped, "You've trained without it before, why can't you just do it like normal?"

Naruto scowled, "Every day Sasuke uses his Sharingan to get stronger, and the Sharingan copies anything it sees instantly! The Kage Bunshin training was meant to be my way of catching up to him."

Sakura felt that strange emotion that had erupted in her body just a week ago and she realised… it was admiration welling up inside her. She smiled softly, "You don't have to take such a burden on Naruto, I'm here too, you know?"

Naruto shook his head, "I know how busy you are at the hospital, so I don't expect you to have to train and stuff right now. Konoha needs you."

Sakura felt a blush tinge her cheeks in embarrassment, "Konoha needs me, you're right," she agreed, "But _you_ need me more. I think I'll take a break from working at the hospital, after all, I need to do some training too!"

"But Sakura-chan, you're fine as you are," Naruto assured her, "You could beat anyone you wanted to."

Sakura shook her head, "That's not true, and I'm definitely not a match for the Akatsuki."

"But you beat the puppet guy!" Naruto protested, "That weird blond explosives guy said that he was even stronger than him."

"I would have never defeated him without Chiyo-sama," Sakura corrected him gracefully, "Anyway, since you've got the Mokuton you've been a step ahead of me! I need to catch up, and that's final!"

Ayame walked back through to the shop from the back room, and rubbed tiredly at her eyes, "I needed that nap," she said with a loud yawn, "Should I get started on the ramen then?"

Sakura nodded and Naruto looked at her in confusion, "I thought you went to get it?"

Ayame did not miss a beat, "I did."

Naruto looked at her blankly for a moment, "I didn't see you do it."

"I _almost_ didn't see her bring the ramen," Sakura interrupted swiftly, "You must just be tired from all of your training," she dismissed with a short (and very fake) laugh, Ayame nodded in agreement and she started the cooking.

Their blond companion simply sat and gazed at Ayame as if she had done the impossible and finally he shook his head, completely and utterly bewildered. "I never would have noticed," he said embarrassedly, "Ayame-chan, you should be a ninja!"

* * *

And so Naruto and Sakura trained together and apart from then onwards, until finally, they were requested to head straight to Tsunade's office. They had wanted to finish their training session (which they had barely started), but Yamato had explained_ patiently_ ("Do what the Hokage says, _or else_.") that they had to obey the Hokage. Thus, they had run straight to the Hokage's lair out of obedience and a little fear.

Sakura stopped at the door in order to regain her breath and compose herself, and Naruto charged in ahead, "Hey Granny-Tsunade, what do you want?"

Tsunade glared at him, and looked away from the pair of them, "Something important has happened," she replied.

Naruto looked from her to the man next to her, "Ah! Ero-sennin!" he exclaimed with surprise, "You're back?"

Jiraiya grinned at Naruto and at Sakura as she trudged into the room, "Good to see you."

Naruto beamed back at him, and Sakura bowed at the pair or them, "I apologise for being late," she said diligently, "We were just about to start training."

Tsunade waved off her apology lazily, "Don't worry Sakura."

"So what did you want to talk to us about?" Naruto asked with an impatient squint. He folded his arms, "I had something to talk about too."

The Hokage nodded, "Alright. But we had to tell you that we have just found out that Orochimaru is dead. It appears that your old teammate, Sasuke Uchiha, has killed him."

Sakura and Naruto shared a look of wonder, "No way…" Sakura muttered.

Naruto laughed gleefully, "I knew that there was no way he'd be beaten by the likes of Orochimaru!" And suddenly a new thought hit him, "So he's coming back to Konoha right?"

Jiraiya grimaced, "It seems that's not the case. Apparently in order to kill his elder brother, Sasuke has decided to engage the Akatsuki in battle."

"You're not serious?" Naruto asked incredulously, "This can't be."

Tsunade shook her head, "It's from a reliable source. Sasuke is gathering his power and is attempting to kill his brother now that he is free of Orochimaru."

Sakura held herself still and controlled her emotions, 'I didn't do all that training for nothing!' She thought furiously.

Naruto growled with frustration, "Then we'll have to take our team and go after Sasuke ourselves."

Jiraiya snorted, "It's not that simple you know!"

His student tutted, "If Sasuke's after Akatsuki, then that means we could use the fact that we're still on the mission to take them out, so we can get him back too!"

Sakura nodded, "In other words, we're after _Itachi Uchiha_."

Tsunade let out a "Hmph!" and got up from her chair. She looked out of the window and gazed at her village, "Itachi Uchiha eh? Why does everything come back to him, I wonder?"

Sakura took a step forward, "Tsunade-sama, if we capture Itachi we could get Ibiki to interrogate him. We could get all sorts of information!"

Her teacher sighed, "We already have one of the Akatsuki who is starting to tell us information. Going after Itachi is a big risk. We've only ever managed to capture one member of the Akatsuki, and that was because there was a total of eight people trying."

"Well Tsunade-sama, _we_ were the ones that did that," a voice at the door said.

The group turned to face him, and Naruto greeted his Jounin-sensei with a salute, "Kakashi-sensei!"

"Tsunade-sama," Kakashi closed the door, and walked into the room with purpose, "If you send the new and _improved_ Team Seven, you will get a definite and successful mission."

Jiraiya smirked slyly at Kakashi, "You're a persuasive guy, you know!"

Kakashi chuckled bashfully, and scratched the back of his head, "I try," he replied dryly.

Tsunade snorted, "Alright go ahead. The first step would be to track down the Akatsuki and Sasuke though, so that means we'll need a team that would be able to track down an S-classed ninja, while able to potentially fight off another."

"I know," Kakashi admitted confidently, "And that team is right here…" he gestured to the door, which opened up to reveal three familiar faces-

"Hinata, Kiba, Shino," Naruto waved at them cheerily, "Good to see you!"

Shino bowed briskly and led the others into the room, Kiba gave him a thumbs up in reply, and Hinata waved back at him shyly, "G… good to see you Naruto-kun," she replied with a stutter and blush.

"So this is the team?" Sakura asked Kakashi quietly, to which he nodded in confirmation.

Naruto gave Kakashi a bland look and turned back to the three of them, "No offence you guys, but do you honestly think you're the right ones for the job?"

Tsunade covered a laugh up as a hacking cough, and quickly turned to face the window to hide her amusement.

Hinata flushed embarrassedly, and Kiba glared at him, "What the hell do you mean by that?"

Sakura looked alarmed and moved forward to deal with the confrontation, but Naruto stood firm, "Do you honestly think that you could deal with an S-classed ninja who at our age managed to annihilate his elite clan on his _own_?"

"Do you know why we are here?" Shino asked rhetorically, "It is because we are the best at what we do."

"So you're S-classed ninja who are highly capable in combat and tracking elusive ninja that not even Kakashi could defeat?" Jiraiya pointed out with mirth, "You're clearly capable kids, but there's better ninja than you!"

Shino stiffened, "Why did you bring us here? If it was to insult us under false pretences then we shall leave…"

"Wait Shino," Naruto interrupted quickly, "Don't misunderstand! Thanks for coming and everything, but we don't want you guys to get hurt with something that's too big for you."

Kiba did not bother to dignify him with a response, and he strode from the room with a growl of frustration (and Akamaru at his side). Hinata followed him meekly with a concerned, "Kiba-kun!"

Shino sighed, "Do you know what? I want to thank you for your concern," the bug-user replied, "Kiba volunteered us for this mission, and it seems highly dangerous and unpredictable."

"I'm glad you understand Shino," Naruto said thankfully, "I didn't want to insult you guys." Shino nodded in understanding, and swept from the room to follow his Teammates.

Naruto shook his head disbelievingly at his Jounin-sensei, "C'mon Kakashi-sensei, back to the drawing board…"

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Yamato and Kakashi stood at the enormous wooden gates of Konoha with their newly placed comrades, and each of them were determined to do their part. The sky above them had erupted in dark thunder-clouds in the past hour, and now a drenching tropical rain burst forth upon them. Each of them had dressed appropriately for the weather, and was covered by a plain beige cloak for protection against the storm.

"Alright, let's go!" Naruto said readily, with the smallest of fist-pumps.

"He's an eager kid, huh?" one of the ninja remarked with a toothy grin.

"Perhaps a bit too _eager_," another replied sniffed dignifiedly, "I would rather this was handeled carefully rather than childishly."

"Why would you want that?" the last member of the team asked neutrally, "Surely you should enjoy the enthusiasm Uzumaki shows in his work…"

The dignified ninja snorted, "I suppose so. It's a nice reminder of his mother after all."

Kakashi nodded at the new group and gestured for them to follow, "We will progress towards our first target in the standard formation," he informed them over the roar of thunder, "We'll deal with the important stuff when we get there."

And so Kakashi led two teams of ninja towards the far reaches of Fire Country, to an abandoned town by the name of Kinkotaku, which had been a town that Konoha had occupied during the war, and used as a command centre. It was a little known fact that the surrounding area held a hidden and derelict Uchiha base that had apparently been deserted after the second ninja war due to reasons unknown.

Naruto, Sakura and Sai led the charge towards Kinkotaku, each with their primary goal in mind- to capture Itachi Uchiha and if possible, neutralise Kisame Hoshigaki, his known partner.

The pounding of the rain beat against Naruto's hood, and echoed the quick and heavy rhythm of his heart. Anxiety coursed through his body, with a side-order of adrenaline and he could not help but feel excitement, after all, it was time for Sasuke to come home.

* * *

The group of eight ninja stood on the orange-tiled roof of an empty house. From the look of the burns around the windows and their ruptured wooden frames, there had been a large explosion from inside. Probably the work of the Kumo ninja who had managed to infiltrate the command centre, only to kill everyone inside with a suicide technique.

Sakura finally took the time to inspect their new comrades, and fellow ninja, and she could not help but feel a bit of excitement for working alongside such renowned greats. After all, before them stood Hiashi Hyuuga, Shibi Aburame, and Tsume Inuzuka.


	8. Chapter 8

**Heir of the Sage**

**Disclaimer****: **Naruto is solely the possession of Kishimoto, alas I only own the computer I used to write a story based on his wonderful work.

**Summary****: **When Naruto is learning how to use his Elemental Affinity from Yamato and Kakashi, they end up with far more than they bargained for! Now Naruto is armed with the abilities of the First Hokage, how will he deal with his enemies? Mokuton!Naruto AU

**Author's Notes****: **I seem to keep putting off the confrontation with Itachi. I guess I underestimated the amount of content there was in the manga between the Zombie Brothers Arc and the Itachi and Sasuke conflict…

Also, in this chapter you'll notice that the Konoha teams managed to find a lot more trouble than they did in canon. Well, this is what happens when you have a team on the calibre of the parents! (If you see any problems with formatting or the layout, tell me! The website's being really irritating with that at the moment...)

* * *

**Chapter Eight****: Art is a Bang**

_**Earlier In The Day  
**_

Kisame smiled, showing his shark-like teeth, "Well, the Yonbi is sealed. Quicker than I thought too."

Itachi nodded, "It did not take long because the Jinchuriki used the Biju inside himself very often. The demon's chakra was hovering just under the surface of his own."

"The job is done," Pain informed them, "However, I have news… Orochimaru, the man who betrayed us, is dead."

"Oh?" Kisame's smile grew bigger, "How did he die?"

The woman at Pain's side responded for him, "That boy Sasuke Uchiha killed him," she said. "And he is coming for you Itachi."

"Konan is correct," Pain continued calmly, "He and his comrades are attempting to kill you."

"Comrades?" Itachi said in reply, a note of confusion in his voice, "He returned to Konoha?"

"… No. He has joined forces with Juugo of Tenpin, a sensor ninja by the name of Karin, and one of the Houzuki brothers of Kiri," Pain informed them slowly, "You should watch your back."

"Sasuke Uchiha, eh?" Deidara smirked, "Maybe I should neutralise him before he becomes a problem." He noticed Itachi's eyes turn to face him with blankly, and he felt a pulse of satisfaction. 'If I kill Sasuke Uchiha, that'll wipe the smugness off of Itachi's face when he sees me next.'

"Before you leave however, I should tell you that I have heard a disturbing rumour."

"A rumour?" asked Tobi interestedly, "Like gossip? What kind?"

"Rumour has it that the Kyuubi Jinchuriki has been using the Mokuton," Pain told them with evident distaste, "I had hoped that bloodline was extinct."

"The Mokuton, eh?" Deidara asked rhetorically, "How interesting."

"Really Deidara-senpai?" Tobi interjected hyperactively, "Has he got your attention?"

"Yeah," Deidara responded with a grin, "He's got my attention."

"Good," Pain replied approvingly, "But if you challenge him, make sure you don't kill him. We need to capture him last, and we can only extract the demon while he is alive…"

* * *

_**Present Time**_

The group of eight ninja (and a dog) stood on the orange-tiled roof of an empty house. From the look of the burns around the windows and their ruptured wooden frames, there had been a large explosion from inside. Probably the work of the Kumo ninja who had managed to infiltrate the command centre, only to kill everyone inside with a suicide technique.

Sakura finally took the time to inspect their new comrades, and fellow ninja, and she could not help but feel a bit of excitement for working alongside such renowned greats. After all, before them stood Hiashi Hyuuga, Shibi Aburame, and Tsume Inuzuka.

Kakashi addressed all of them with a slight cough, "Alright then… to start off, we'll each be going in a different direction. We will be heading to a maximum of five kilometres in our search," he explained, "By doing this we'll be fanning out in all directions."

"But Kakashi-sensei," Sakura protested, "Our radios won't reach that far! If one of us gets in trouble and finds both Akatsuki, it'd be bad news. Also, it's standard procedure for a patrolling ninja to travel with at least one comrade…"

Hiashi Hyuuga nodded stiffly, "She is correct. And we should be following the ninja code strictly while dealing with ninja of Itachi's calibre."

Kakashi hummed in agreement, "That's true. That's why my dog summons will be useful. They can communicate at long distances and they are specialised tracking summons," he replied with a formal nod to Hiashi, "Not to mention that Yamato will be staying here and communicating with us individually over our radios."

Yamato nodded, "Good idea. I would be able to provide adequate back up to any team too, as I will be at an equal distance to everyone." Sakura and Hiashi seemed to be appeased by this answer, and all protests were silenced.

"It's a shame Yamato's not coming," Naruto complained to Sai, "He won't be able to see how much his training's helped me to improve!"

Sai nodded in reply, "You can show him how much better you've become when we get back to Konoha."

"You are being optimistic," Shibi cut in, "If we encounter the Akatsuki there is a high chance that none of us are going to return to our homes."

"That's just _pessimistic _Aburame," Tsume chuckled dryly, her husky voice acting as evidence that she used to smoke, "Anyhow; you might be calling on him kid, so you never know!"

Tsume's dog Kuromaru, grumbled his agreement.

While they chatted amiably Kakashi swiftly summoned his group of ninja dogs, a cloud of smoke activating around his person, "Good to see you," he greeted. Kakashi had summoned numerous beasts, and beside him sat a pack of dogs of different breeds.

Naruto waved at the lone dog on Kakashi's soldier, "Hey Pakkun!"

Pakkun, the pug dog, grinned a toothy grin in reply, "Good to see you, and you too Sakura-chan! Do you still use the same shampoo? It seems like it because your hair is just as glossy as my coat…" Sakura blushed deeply at the idea of sharing a shampoo with Pakkun, but her embarrassment was quickly forgotten with the arrival of her canine companions.

A yappity small dog with the appearance similar to a fox scampered towards her, "You can count on me, Sakura-chan!" it barked. Its fur was a pale orange, and its eyes were wide and frantically looking around.

Another padded towards her, "That guy is so annoying," he explained to her. "He never shuts up!" The newcomer was a lazy-eyed basset hound, with long floppy ears and a leaf-marking branded on it's forehead in its fur.

Shibi did not wait for the dogs to approach him, and he strode towards a pair of dogs that had not yet howled a word. One was a small dog with creamy shaggy fur and a sad face (framed with a Konoha headband), and the other was a short-haired terrier who stood at the ready, his eyes covered by sunglasses not dissimilar to Shibi's own.

"Good to see you again, Shibi-san," the dog with the glasses muttered. The other dog did not say anything, but simply followed.

Sai waited to see which dogs were remaining and blinked when he saw two (less groomed) dogs approach him automatically. One growled at him in greeting, the other sniffed at his kunai pouch. "Nice to meet you," he greeted uncertainly.

Naruto watched the dogs move about, and he looked at Kakashi uncertainly, "What about me?"

Kakashi gestured for the pit-bull on his right to accompany Naruto, and the dog lumbered towards him. "Because Akatsuki's after you, Hiashi will be accompanying you for extra support. You'll both be travelling with the big guy here."

The pit-bull sat between Naruto and Hiashi, and gave a boomingly loud "Woof!"

"And lastly, I will be travelling with Pakkun, as Tsume is working with Kuromaru," Kakashi explained, with a nod towards Tsume and her partner. Kuromaru himself as an enormous dog with dark blue fur. It's appearance was that of a warrior, as an eye-patch covered a missing eye, and its left ear had clearly been torn off in a fight years ago.

Kuromaru muttered, "Obviously." It had become proficient at the use of sarcasm when it had been through the process of training Kiba's dog Akamaru the way of human speech. It had not gone well.

"Is that alright, everyone?" Kakashi ignored Kuromaru's reply. When he received no response from the gathered ninja, he heaved a sigh. "Great. Now remember: Despite the fact that our mission said it was to capture Itachi Uchiha, our real mission is as follows: Follow Sasuke Uchiha's scent, and if needed, use force to bring him home."

The group nodded once in reply.

"If you happen to come across the Akatsuki, make_ sure_ you flee and return to the base so that you can be given aid from another group," Kakashi implored them. The orders finished, he raised his hand to signal the start of the mission- and each of the groups shot in seven different directions.

* * *

Two large bird-like creatures plummeted through the sky at dangerously high speeds, each with a cloaked man riding the back of them. The creatures were a plain beige colour, and had strange blank eyes of the same shade. They landed heavily, and the figures of Deidara and Tobi landed in the midst of a grassy plain just outside of a heavily forested area of Fire Country.

Deidara grinned at his partner, and clapped his clay-bird on the side gratefully, "See Tobi? It was no problem to get here at all, hmm…" he said with a smirk.

Tobi ignored him, "So which one are you after Senpai? They're both in the same area after all! Is it Sasuke Uchiha, or the Kyuubi?"

Deidara simply cackled, and jumped onto the back of his clay bird, "I wonder…" he teased Tobi playfully, "I wonder which I'll go for." The bird took off at top speeds, and Tobi's bird took off after him.

Deidara pondered his options as they flew over the treetops of the dense forest beneath them, "Should I defeat my rival's technique: the Sharingan, or test the Jinchuriki?" He considered his options for a moment, and decided with a devious grin, "Which ever one I find first!"

* * *

Sakura and her dogs had taken the path to the North-East, one that would take them straight through a deep forested area. According to the map she had read before they had left, it would take her directly to the closest town. 'I wonder if that's where Sasuke may have been,' she pondered, 'But it's strange to think he would stray so close to Konoha if he doesn't want to come home…'

The yappity dog screeched to a halt, its nose stuck to the ground. Sakura stopped in her tracks too, "What's wrong? What's the matter?" she asked worriedly.

The basset hound looked her squarely in the eye, "He's found something."

Yappity barked, "Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan! It's Sasuke Uchiha's scent!"

Basset laughed, "That was easier than I thought!"

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, "… You're telling me…" she muttered, "Hey Yamato-taichou, can you hear me?"

* * *

Yamato had been sitting in the building patiently. It had taken moments to settle into the derelict village, and he forced himself to ignore the discomfort he was feeling- he was sitting comfortably in a place which years earlier had been the place that at least ten Konoha ninja had been blown up and burnt alive. Yamato composed himself, and started to work on the contraption he had set up before him.

It was a table of knobs, dials and switches. It was a piece of state of the art equipment that was ideal for situations like these- it was lucky that Hiashi, Shibi and Tsume had agreed to join them really. After all, if they had not, they would not have been allowed to take such useful technology with them. As it was, it was only being used to insure the safety of the gathered clan heads.

Yamato set all of the receivers to neutral, and waited for the first person to contact him. And he waited. He almost jumped at the loud BZZZZT that erupted from one of the sound speakers on the transmitter. He flicked the switch, and saw that it was coming from the North-East. Sakura's location.

Another "bzzt" accompanied Sakura's transmission to the base, #_Hey Yamato-taichou, can you hear me?_#_  
_

"Reading you loud and clear Sakura," Yamato acknowledged good-naturedly, "What have you got?"

#_One of the dogs has picked up a trace of Sasuke-kun's scent, so I might be onto something here_.#

"Understood Sakura, pursue carefully! When the dogs say that you're close, make sure you try and sense for the person with the largest chakra stores. You never know what kind of disguises Sasuke might have," Yamato advised, "Is that all?"

#_That's all, boss!_#

"Alright. Stay in touch, I'll pass the information on now," Yamato informed her.

#_Roger!_#

Yamato turned off his radio contact to Sakura, and flicked many switches, "Can you hear me everyone? Sakura has found a trace of Sasuke Uchiha's scent, and she is in pursuit, however it might be a dud. Stay on each of your courses, and make sure to stay in touch."

* * *

Deidara and Tobi glided through the skies of Fire Country lazily, until Diedara, like Sakura, was in luck. "Hey Tobi, looks like I found something," Deidara had been using the contraption he had built over his left eye to seek out people on the land below him- a device named the Hawkeye that made searching for targets easier than ever.

"Really? That was quick," Tobi praised in astonishment, "Who is it?"

His partner smirked, "Wait and see!" Thus, Deidara led Tobi towards their target: Which either way, was one of the founding families of Konoha. One being the heir of the Senju and one being a survivor of the Uchiha.

* * *

Sakura and the dogs had traced the scent towards the small, but busy town she had found on the map earlier. It was clearly a market day of some kind, as shouts of prices and various vegetables made her deaf to the noises the subtlest of ninja would make. She tutted in annoyance, "Anything new?"

Yappity jumped at her voice, "The scent isn't clear, but we're definitely getting closer."

Basset hound rolled his eyes, "So what does it mean if the scent isn't clear?"

"It means that the scent isn't exact, but a trace of it is close!" Yappity the dog yipped with excitement, "And it's even closer now!"

"How close?" Sakura asked discretely.

Yappity looked incredulous, "The scent's moving away!"

Sakura bit her lip, "Right. I'll try to sense who it could be." In the time she had spent training with Yamato and Naruto, she had started to cover the team's weaknesses: sensing and genjutsu. Sakura stopped moving, and stayed as still as she could in the middle of the market. She blocked out the sounds of the stall owners, and the crowd that thrashed around her.

And she could sense a person who could very well be a ninja. A small chakra-capacity person had walked past her moments ago. A chakra low enough that under normal circumstances it could be ignored. "They're somewhere behind us," she told the dogs, "It's not Sasuke, but it's someone who's been with him! Look for them, and hurry!"

The dogs followed her instruction, and darted forwards through the crowds. Sakura followed slightly slower, and pressed a finger to her radio headset, "Yamato-taichou? I'm pinning down the trace of the scent. It's not Sasuke, but it might be one of the people from the team he's building. I'm going to engage the target!"

Basset hound barked loudly, "We've found her!"

Sakura's eyes found Basset hound and the '_her_'in question. It was a girl of a similar age with messy red hair, and thick rimmed glasses. Sakura grinned, "I've got you."

The girl's face blanched paler than it already was, and she sprinted away through the haphazard market stalls hastily. "Yamato, I'm pursuing! She's a girl of similar height to me; she has red hair and thick rimmed black glasses. Low chakra reserve, so she could be a sensor or medic-nin."

#_Sakura, be careful. Even though she might be a medical ninja, she could still be just as dangerous as you. Or even more so._# Yamato's voice warned her through her receiver.

"Not damn likely," Sakura responded grimly, "If she won't tell me what I want to know, I'm going to kill her."

Yamato sighed down the line, #_Be careful. Do you want Shibi or Tsume to back you up? _#

"I will be careful," Sakura promised, "And I don't need them really. It's not like this is Sasuke, I'll be fine."

* * *

Sai had taken to the air to search for Sasuke shortly after he had heard that Sakura had found traces of his scent in town. His reasoning had been that Sasuke would never go to a busy place in Fire Country, just in case he ran into Konoha ninja. This meant that Sasuke would likely be lurking somewhere abnormal, and that he likely had one of his cronies go into town.

So Sai had drawn a fantastical beast to ride upon- an inked eagle. The eagle was a well built creature with a broad body and long wings. The two dogs that had accompanied him were following on the ground, and he had made sure to keep them in sight- just in case he needed some help. Not that it was likely.

The rain had blown by, (luckily, as his inked techniques would wash away from the water) and now the day was hot, humid and damp. Sai wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, and placed a hand above his eye line to block the sun and stop its interference with his eyesight. What shocked Sai now was that nobody else had noticed the enormous explosions ahead and that a member of Akatsuki was aboard his own flying contraption… that seemed to be made of mud.

#_Sakura is pursuing a female ninja who is likely in league with Sasuke. She thinks that she can handle the situation, so I'm going to let her- however… all response units should be at the ready to provide back-up._#

Sai frowned, 'She's not found the Uchiha then? Irritating.' He continued onwards, towards the explosions and danger that awaited him, and finally… he took notice of Sasuke Uchiha, who seemed to be fighting an Akatsuki pair that was definitely _not _the team of Itachi and Kisame. Sai cursed the weather, and then he cursed his bad luck. 'How typical that I have the misfortune of meeting this bastard a second time… and with the Akatsuki to boot.'

He detailed what was happening on paper, and dropped it to the forest floor in the form of an open scroll for the dogs to read, and he hoped they would dispel themselves to avoid getting hurt in the fight ahead. After all, it was likely that it would be brutal. He pressed a hand to his radio head set, "Yamato. I've found him. Sasuke Uchiha."

#_You have?_#

"I have," Sai confirmed, and he pulled a blank scroll from his side. "And he's being attacked by two members of Akatsuki. I'm going to engage the Akatsuki alongside him, but I need back-up now." He drew across the scroll fluidly.

#_Which of the Akatsuki is it?_# Sai could hear Yamato's worry across the radio waves. It was kind of him to worry.

"The active Akatsuki is blond and on some sort of flying monster. There are lots of explosions. The other Akatsuki is running around, and he has a bright orange mask."

#_Be careful Sai. According to Kakashi that is the man known as Deidara, and he specialises in aerial combat and explosives. The masked man is unknown. Your back-up is on the way._# The worried tone was even more prominent now. #_I advise you to stay back until your back-up gets there._#

"Naruto would never forgive me if I let Sasuke escape… or die. As his friend, this is my duty," Sai responded with the most emotion he had felt to date. "If Sakura can do her part, I can do mine."

* * *

Sasuke's friend had darted towards the forest, in the hopes that Sakura would not pursue her. She clearly did not know Sakura well enough. The ninja had jumped to the trees to hope to put her off further, but Sakura still pursued diligently.

Sakura channelled her chakra to her legs and stomach muscles, and felt her speed increase dramatically. The girl was still in her sights, and she was slower than her- but it didn't stop the bitch from being slippery. The speed boost blasted her to position behind the red-head, who squealed in fear. Sakura gave a battle cry and drop-kicked the girl from a tree branch, and the red-head tumbled to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

The girl scrambled around pitifully, "Who are you?" she stuttered, "What do you want?"

Sakura crossed her arms impatiently, "Drop the act. You know I'm from Konoha, and you know I'm chasing after Sasuke."

The girl snorted and got to her feet steadily, "Is that so?" she pushed her glasses back up her nose, and ruffled her hair. "So why did you come after me? Do I _look_ like Sasuke to you?"

Sakura laughed incredulously, "You smell of him. You must have thrown yourself at him and rubbed his clothes all over your face to get such a strong scent."

"How dare you!" The girl screeched and flushed with embarrassment, "You're just jealous that Sasuke didn't return your feelings."

"I just want him to come home," Sakura replied disbelievingly, "This isn't a romantic quest. I want him to come home so things can be as they should be."

The girl ruffled her hair, "You know what? You need to get a life, my friend. Sasuke doesn't want to go to Konoha _ever again_. Get over it."

"Then if I cannot help Sasuke as a friend, I'll capture him as a ninja of Konoha. It's already been decided that we'd take him by force if we have to and the same goes for his comrades," Sakura spat, and she charged forwards.

The girl squealed again, and jumped backwards- only to back into a tree. The last thing she saw that day was Sakura's fist. Sakura sighed and pressed a hand to her head set again, "Yamato? I have her unconscious. A good thing I didn't ask for back up too, because she was useless."

#_Great job Sakura, you had best bring her back to the base so that we can transport her back to Konoha when the others return._#

"Yes sir," Sakura muttered, and she disconnected the radio contact. She turned to the dogs and smiled weakly at them, "Come on boys, let's get back to the base."

"Fast as we can, Sakura-chan!" Yappity yelped, and he tore away from the group and headed back to where they came.

Basset hound sighed and followed behind at a trot, "Let's go then."

Sakura rolled her eyes at their behaviour and heaved the girl onto her shoulder, "Yeah… let's go."

* * *

Sai soared forwards on his ink eagle, and he ascended higher and higher into the sky. 'If I attack directly from the sun, it would impair their vision if they looked up at me.' The dragon monster that the Akatsuki was on shot clay explosives from its tail, and opened its mouth as if to roar. Of course, as it had no physical vocal chords, the effect was more comical than terrifying, but Sai knew better.

The dragon's massive wings propelled it backwards, directed by the blond man. Sai could see Sasuke now, and the Uchiha seemed to be using Kakashi's chidori (alongside advanced shape manipulation) to try and take down the dragon with a single hit.

The dragon swerved around and darted straight towards Sasuke, who leapt backwards a few metres in an attempt to put distance between himself and the giant explosive reptile. Sai circled the scene from above, making sure to keep both eyes and ears focused on the scene below.

"I don't care how strong your defensives are, this time you're gonna go flying, hm!" Deidara gloated viciously, "You'll be ultra-flat!" A large clay pig fell from the dragon's mouth just as it started to ascend upwards again, and an eruption of dirt and fire burst from where it hit the ground. Sasuke had barely dodged it, it seemed. The Uchiha, however was impacted by yet another explosion from what appeared to be a landmine.

"Did I get him?" Diedara wondered. The smoke blew away from the scene, and unveiled an unhurt Sasuke, who had wrapped a set of wings around his body protectively.

Sai looked down on the scene with interest, 'How strange. Those wings must be an evolution of the Cursed Seal.' The masked man reappeared from the ground, and Deidara ordered him away. 'He must be afraid of his subordinate getting hurt in the cross-fire,' Sai considered.

Sasuke opened his wings, and with a single push he started to move off of the ground.

Deidara's dragon swept towards him at top speed, "I'm clipping your wings now, you little bastard!" he roared.

Sasuke looked up in a moment of fear, "Shit!"

And an explosion enveloped them both. A dragon of Sai's own creation had met Deidara in the air, and it had set off an explosion of epic proportions. Ink rained from above, and spattered onto Sasuke. He dropped back to his knees, and looked up. He was speechless.

"I can't say I'm pleased to see you Uchiha," Sai drawled atop his eagle, "But a dead Akatsuki is a good Akatsuki, wouldn't you say?"

Sasuke looked past him, and focused his attention on Deidara instead. The Akatsuki seemed to be pulling himself together on the ground now, his dragon destroyed. Along with the landmines his partner had planted it seemed, as he had collided with them when he had hit the floor. "… Are they with you?" Sasuke had recognised him immediately so it seemed.

"You mean Naruto and Sakura?" Sai asked rhetorically, his pen swiftly working at a scroll again, "They're around."

Sasuke scowled, "I could have done this without you."

"Probably," Sai agreed with a faint smile, "Your friends speak highly of you though, so I figured it was best to avoid any injuries when possible."

The Uchiha walked past him, and drew his sword, "I don't want your help."

Deidara's attention had shifted onto Sai now, who looked back at him emotionlessly. Blood seeped from the blond's eye, dribbled from his mouth, and dripped from multiple wounds and gashes on his body. "Your eyes… even without the Sharingan, you look at me the same way!"

Sai blinked, "I do?"

"You think you're better than me," Deidara ranted bitterly, his bloodied eye showing signs of madness. "I'm better than you!"

"Okay then," Sai replied agreeably, his fake smile on his face.

Deidara yanked a clump of clay from a pouch on his leg, and chewed it. "I'm going to kill you with my most powerful attack!"

Sai looked at Sasuke, who glanced back at him. Sasuke flew straight into the sky, and Sai followed suit. Deidara spewed the clay from his mouth, and it splattered onto the floor in a sloppy textured mess. And then the mess grew. In a matter of mere seconds the liquid clay grew to an unimaginable size, and towered over the treetops. The clay eventually moulded into a giant Deidara.

"Shit, that's huge," Sasuke muttered, and he flapped his wings as fast as he could. "If that goes off, it'll take everything here with it!" Sai could not help but agree with him, (even if he wasn't a fan of the Uchiha, he definitely knew what he was talking about.) While they had attempted to outpace the giant Deidara, who had proceeded to run after them manically, Deidara himself had taken to the skies above them.

Sai frowned at that, and swerved around the giant Deidara and towards the real thing. Sasuke looked at him as if he were crazy, but continued to glide away regardless. 'He's not my responsibility,' he thought irately. The giant Deidara started to inflate like a balloon.

"What are you doing?" Deidara shouted furiously atop his clay-bird, "Get away from me!" Dozens of clay spiders shot forth from the bird's mouth, and exploded dangerously close to Sai each time. The giant inflated further, and a creamy drool started to drip from its mouth.

Sai glanced behind himself and saw that Sasuke had descended to the forest to escape by foot, 'Damn it, I'd hoped that I could stick by him to get him back to Sakura and Naruto… I guess I failed.'

And as if sensing Sai's disappointment, the giant Deidara exploded with a massive bang. The skin-like coating of the explosion disintegrated almost immediately, and animals of all kinds started to turn to dust in the area. Sai saw Sasuke get turned to dust before his very eyes.

Sasuke screamed, "Wha- No!" His skin was stripped away, revealing veins, organs and insides. Sai looked away from the pitiful sight and he locked eyes with Deidara.

"How did you know what to do?" Deidara asked him, his hand scarily close to the pouch of clay on his leg.

Sai shook the image of Sasuke being ripped apart from his head, "I knew you wouldn't kill yourself. I stayed at the same distance from the blast as you to avoid whatever _that_ was."

"I might not have killed you with that," Deidara growled dangerously, "But I sure as hell killed him. I won! Art is a bang!" A stream of lightning blew through a wing of the bird, and shot straight through Deidara, who collapsed into a lump of clay.

'Genjutsu?' Sai thought in amazement, 'He cast it over the both of us, and Deidara saw straight through it!'

The real Deidara dropped from the bottom of the clay bird with a victorious roar, "Prepare to eat C4!" He launched himself at Sasuke who had flown towards them in his Cursed Seal form, and slopped the liquid clay onto Sasuke directly.

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise, "Shit!" The clay transformed into a normal sized Deidara this time, and the original landed stably on the top of a tree. He looked on at Sasuke who struggled to break the C4 off of him. Sai's eagle rushed swiftly towards the struggling Uchiha, only for him to be stopped in his tracks by a flurry of clay pigeons that had flocked around him.

Sai diverted away from Sasuke and the explosive birds, 'Maybe I can lose then in time to stop the C4 from initiating…' he hoped internally. He felt some of the birds detonate around him, occasionally burning him or breaking his skin. Blood trickled from a large cut on his face, as he continued to try to avoid the flock. He swooped upwards, and looped around the birds carefully, setting some off due to his close proximity and barely managed to avoid his ink eagle from blowing up.

Clay snakes wound themselves around Sasuke's arms and kept him held as close to the C4 as possible, 'It looks like I'll have to test out this theory…' he thought desperately, and he activated as much lightning chakra as he could around his body, "Chidori Nagashi (One Thousand Birds Current)!" The lightning sparked from his skin, and jumped down his nerves. It coiled around the snakes, which dissolved uselessly, and jumped into the slowly inflating form of the C4 Deidara. The ballooned explosive dissolved into slop once again, and it slid straight off of Sasuke who flapped his wings breathlessly. The Cursed Seal mode faded from around him, and Sasuke's wings shrunk and disappeared from his body, only for him to fall perilously to the floor below-

"It seems like you're more able than I would've given you credit for," Sai admitted. Sasuke had landed on the ink eagle with a 'thump', and now the overcrowded bird was slowly gliding towards the safety of the earth. "But Naruto would've defeated Deidara by now." Sasuke glowered at him.

The bird landed messily, and seemed to have drained Sai half of his reserves. Sasuke stumbled to his feet, and looked up only to have Deidara glaring at them only metres away. "How did you see through my art?"

Sasuke breathed heavily, "I saw that you were using Doton typed hand seals whenever you started to use your explosive techniques. Doton is weak to Raiton."

"How long have you known to do that?" Deidara interrogated, his eyes wide and maniacal.

"I didn't," Sasuke admitted, his breath back to normal. "I tested it on a whim. I would have likely died either way."

Sai stood to the side patiently, and he observed the exchange with interest. He reached slowly for a sealed scroll that he kept at his side…

Sasuke unsheathed his sword from its hilt, "Now tell me: Where is Itachi?" He lifted it, and pointed it threateningly at Deidara.

Deidara did not answer. He brought his hands together in an improvised hand seal, and an earthen dragon burst from the earth. It leapt from the ground and headed straight towards Sasuke-

"Choju Giga (Super Beasts Imitation Picture)!" Sai said quickly and he unravelled the scroll, unveiling a pack of inked lions which disabled the dragon in moments. The lions aggressively ripped the clay dragon to shreds, and like the remains of the C4, they slopped to the floor as a useless mess.

Sasuke decided that the threat was over, and he let his Sharingan fade. "I'll say it again… where is Itachi?"

Deidara ignored the question again, and with a wince he pulled the tattered remains of his shirt away to reveal a strange marking on his chest. With one hand he balled together the last of his clay, and with the other (which Sai noticed had a mouth on it) he pulled at the strange mark on his chest. The teeth on his hand pulled at the mark, and steadily ripped it off- it appeared to be a threadlike substance.

The thread pinged through each knotted point, and Deidara's chest burst open to reveal another mouth. A huge one, which decorated the centre of his chest like something from a creepy horror film. Deidara fed the clay to the mouth, which chewed on it greedily, and he locked his eyes on Sai and Sasuke. Cracks started to appear from around his body, and Sai felt sick- it was disintegrating like he had thought Sasuke had earlier.

"I'm going to blow _myself_ up!" Deidara declared happily, madness in his eyes. "This is my ultimate art… and you won't get away from it by copying me again, brat."

Sai frowned. 'It will take too long to create a mode of transport. I don't have enough time to run away by foot… What can I do?'

Deidara cackled giddily, and he watched his own skin flake away into nothingness, "Death will make me a piece of art! An unbelievable explosion, which will form irreparable damage to the Earth itself!" Sasuke closed his eyes in what looked like resignation.

"Hah!" Deidara laughed with happiness, "Your eyes finally changed! My art will cause damage up to ten kilometres from here, so maybe a couple of your little friends will die with it… think on that before you die."

The cracks in Deidara's skin morphed into veins of liquid clay dynamite, "You should be very fright-"

The C4 stopped.

"What the hell is going on?" He howled, "What is wrong with my art?"

Sai and Sasuke shared a look of curiosity, each one considering the other curiously. "Was that you?" Sasuke asked him. Sai shook his head confusedly. And then Sai finally noticed the bugs crawling up and down Deidara's body.

"I'm sorry I'm late," apologised a familiar face. "I was exploring my options when I realised what he was planning."

"Thank you, Shibi," Sai replied gratefully. Sai turned to Sasuke, "I suppose you're familiar with Shibi Aburame here?" Sasuke scowled, and looked away.

Shibi Aburame glanced at Sasuke for a moment, and snorted derisively, "Charming."


End file.
